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LIGHT ON THE DARK RIVER. 






























• 




















































LIGHT ON THE DARK RIVER; 

OB, 

MEMORIALS 


MES. HENRIETTA A. L. HAMLIN, 


MISSIONARY IN TURKEY. 


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MARGARETTE WOODS LAWRENCE. 


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FIFTH EDITION. 


BOSTON: 

ICKNOR AND FIELDS. 


MDCCCLVI. 


"BV'St^a. 

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S53, 

BY MARGARETTE WOODS LAWRENCE, 

In the dlerc s Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 


331 03.1 


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Stereotyped by 
HOBART & ROBBINS, 
BOSTON. 




TO THE 


LITTLE DAUGHTERS OF MRS. HAMLIN, 

IN THEIR ORIENT HOME, 

ARE MOST TENDERLY AND AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED. 


Although I have never seen your sweet faces, darling children, jet my 
heart has felt with your heart in the great sorrow which has overshadowed 
your sunny morning. And it has been a peculiar, albeit a mournful 
pleasure, to prepare these reminiscences of that early-loved and long- 
eherished friend, who, like a sun-tinged cloud of morning, has passed away 
into heaven. Though imperfect, I trust they may preserve to you a faint 
image of her who, in a land of strangers, notwithstanding the intensity of 
her affection for the little flock she was leaving motherless, could yet 
confidingly commit it to the good Shepherd’s care. 

One of her precious number, the pet-lamb of the flock, has been early 
restored to her arms in the sleep of the grave. For dear little Mary no 
such memorials are now needed. 

From the beautiful life of your mother’s mother I have inwrought a few 
golden threads. More of these I would gladly have gathered up, as a fuller 
memento of her whom you will never see but with immortal eyes ; for your 
sake, I could not refrain from interweaving at least a few. 

May the dying counsels of your departed mother live in your memory 
and in your character ; and may her holy faith, which cast so serene a 
light on the Dark River, be yours also, brightening the desept-palh of Life, 
and with its celestial rays illuming the river of Death, when your feet 
shall stand upon its shadowy borders! 




* With Him before whose awful power 
Thy spirit bent its trembling knee. 
Who in the silent greeting flower 
And forest leaf looked out on thee, 


“ We leave thee with a trust serene, 

Which Time, nor Change, nor Death can move. 
While, with thy childlike faith, we lean 
On Him whose dearest name is Love.” 


j. a. WHITTIER. 


/ 


CONTENTS 




PAGB 


TO THE READER, by R. S. Storrs, .11 

INTRODUCTORY,.15 

PARENTAGE,.18 

INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD,.23 

EARLY SCHOOL-DAYS AND LOVE OF NATURE,.29 

LATER SCHOOL-DAYS AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT, ... 35 

TEACHING. — MORBID TENDENCIES,.49 

AN OBJECT IN LIFE NECESSARY,.62 

VISITS. —A WINTER OF DISCIPLINE,.72 

QUESTION OF A MISSIONARY LIFE,.82 

HAPPY INFLUENCE OF MISSIONARY CONSECRATION, .... 93 

THE MISSIONARY BRIDE,.103 

EMBARKATION, PASSAGE AND ARRIVAL,.117 

Straits of Gibraltar — Harbor of Milo — Narrow escape—Bay of Fokea 
— Smyrna — Armenian wedding. 

CONSTANTINOPLE. —ASPECTS OF THE MISSION,.131 

Boarding at Mr. Goodell’s — Mr. Hamlin engineer to a banker— 
Refinement of the Armenians — Study of foreign languages. 

SKETCH OF THE MISSION. — FIRST HOUSEKEEPING,.141 


Thrilling incident — Persecution — Mohammedanism and Infidelity — 
Hopeful appearances — Description of house and domestic contrivances 
— Trials of missionary life — Turkish impositions. 

THE FIRST-BORN. — REMOVAL TO THE COUNTRY AND OPEN¬ 
ING OF THE SEMINARY,.160 

Dress of missionaries — Three months* residence at Arnaout Keuy — 
Entertainment of invalid missionaries — Bebek — Hostility of inhabit¬ 
ants— Mrs. Hamlin’s interest in the school — Domestic character—• 
Valley of Sweet Waters — Valley of Heavenly Waters — Superstitions 
of Oriental churches — The Sultan going to the mosque — Peep into 
domestic life. 

















10 


CONTENTS. 


DIFFICULTIES AND DISCOURAGEMENTS,.184 

Attempt to break up seminary — Second removal — Little Henrietta 


— Letter to a sister in affliction — Description of situation — Garden- 
conversations with Turks—Family concert — Seminary straitened for 
■want of funds — Mrs. Hamlin’s Greek and Jewish scholars — Hin¬ 
drances from Romish influences — Disappointments in the purchase of 
a house. 

DEATH OF MRS. HAMLIN’S FATHER. — PURCHASE OF THE 

SEMINARY ESTABLISHMENT,.197 

Third removal — Tragical stories — Oriental conscience — Struggle for 
religious tolerance — Ill-health of Mrs. Hamlin — Short residence at 
llalki. 

REMINISCENCES OF DEACON KENT. —DEATH OF MRS. HAM¬ 


LIN’S MOTHER,.219 

Prosperity of Seminary—Charter of tolerance — Last letters of Mrs. 
Jackson — Last letters of Mrs. Hamlin — Cheering tokens among 
Greeks. 

TESTIMONIALS OF FRIENDSHIP,.233 

Domestic character — Testimony of students — Letter from “ One of the 
Ancients ” — Exchange of playful letters — Other testimonials — Char¬ 
acter as a mother — Prospects for usefulness. 

SICKNESS.—TRIALS AND STRUGGLES,.243 

SEVERE CONFLICT.—NEW CONSECRATION AND ASSURANCE 

OF FAITH,.253 

THE BAPTISM,.261 

LINGERING ON THE BANKS OF JORDAN,.265 

WAITING AT THE GATE OF HEAVEN,.272 

LIGHT ON THE DARK RIVER. —THE LAST SLEEP,.279 

THE BURIAL,. 283 

VICTORY OF FAITH,.288 

PASSAGE FROM RHODES,.292 

CLOSING TRIBUTES,.297 

SUMMARY OF CHARACTER,.308 

THE REINTERMENT,.313 




















TO THE READER. 


A perusal of the following pages will leave on the reflect ng 
mind vivid impressions, 

Of the high value of parental dedication of children to God, 
when followed by a corresponding course of religious instruc¬ 
tion, and an exemplification of the Christian virtues ; 

Of the paramount influence of parental piety in forming the 
character of children for life-long usefulness; 

Of the particular providence of God, in preparing individuals 
for the sphere of action to which he has destined them ; 

Of the native modesty, original capacity, cultivated refine¬ 
ment, and distinctive amiableness, of the subject of the present 
memoir, as the desirable and peculiar qualifications of the 
female missionary; 

Of the energy of the religious principle, sustaining the spirit 
in circumstances of extreme perplexity and trial, and urging it 
onward to deeds of Christian heroism; 

Of the high importance of conjugal companionship to 
missionary success anong the half-civilized or barbarous 
tribes of men; 

Of the adaptedness of woman to every sphere of missionary 
labor, and the indispensableness of her fortitude and persever- 



12 


TO THE READER. 


ance to the support and consolation of man in his oft-recurring 
seasons of exhaustion and despondency; 

Of the efficacy of faith in invigorating an enfeebled physical 
frame, and inspiring the moral powers with an unconquerable 
elasticity and energy; 

Of the sufficiency of grace to support the fainting spirit 
amid its deepest sorrows, and impart celestial joys to the torn 
and agonized heart. 

Impressions like these, confirmed by authentic memorials 
of those whom Jesus loves and early calls home to himself, 
are of inestimable value to survivors, enlivening their graces, 
and pressing them onward to holy achievement. 

The present volume has claims to regard which will be 
promptly met whenever it shall find its way among the 
circles adorned by intelligence and purity. Its special claims 
on the personal friends of Mrs. Hamlin are scarcely more 
urgent than those pressed on the heart of every lover of 
Christ, by the beautiful simplicity and unostentatious piety 
breathing through every page, and pervading every sentiment. 
Not, indeed, that all the utterances of the volume are such as 
would have flowed from the lips of Brainard, or Susannah 
Anthony, nor that they are all guaged by the standard of the 
young convert’s “ first love,” but that all are in keeping with 
the spirit that has God always first and always last in the 
mind’s eye. 

If the reader fail to see her as she was, an humble, stead¬ 
fast, devoted, unaffected and warm-hearted follower of the 
Lamb, it will not be because of her deficiency in either of 
these lovely features of character, but rather from her self¬ 
distrust, and deep aversion to all parade of spiritual feeling. 

Though not personally acquainted with Mrs. Hamlin nor 
her family connections, and obliged, like other readers, to 


TO THE READER. 


13 


estimate her character by her words and works here recorded, 
yet the consistency and harmony of the Memoir with itself in all 
its parts, and its congruity with all that has been said of her, 
while she lived, by those who knew her well, has created a 
deep and lively interest in my own mind, in the perusal of 
these precious memorials, — an interest increasing from the 
beginning to the end, even to a painful intensity. 

The style of the work will speak for itself; it is the author’s 

mind daguerreotyped, as in her former publications, and never 

contemplated at the right angle of vision but with pleasure. 

A poetic fancy, in combination with an earnest spirit of piety, 

• • • 
gives resistless charms to the portraiture of a life sacredly 

devoted to the humble duties of humanity and godliness, 
especially when the father and mother eminent for their 
virtues, the husband and children with their absorbing loves, 
brethren, sisters and intimate friends, full of ardent devotion to 
her happiness, form the dramatis personae of the scene. 
Fidelity is not sacrificed to poetry, nor truthfulness to pane¬ 
gyric ; but the light and the shade, the cheerfulness and 
serenity, of an imperfect yet sincere Christian experience, are 
so accurately defined, and yet admirably blended, as to demon¬ 
strate the justness of the whole delineation. 

If there are those who question the utility of such “ memo¬ 
rials ” as these, it is believed that they are few in number, and 
unfortunate in the influences that have come over them. Our 
religious literature is far from being overstocked with works of 
this description. From the publication of “ Harriet Newell,” 
the first American “ missionary sister ” whose biography 
blessed our land, down to the Rst that has greeted us from the 
press, not one has failed of extended usefulness in the promo¬ 
tion of personal holiness, the increase of the spirit of missions, 
and the happy illustration of the grace of God. How various 
2 


14 


TO THE READER. 


soever their merits and attractions, all of them have been 
honored by the Head of the church with an important instru¬ 
mentality in arousing the too long dormant energies of Zion, 
and giving them a direction which promises to fill the earth 
ere long with righteousness and peace. May they be multi¬ 
plied yet more and more, till their impress shall be made 
indelible on every heart, and constrain the raising of every 
hand to “ crown Jesus Lord of all 1 ” 


Braintree, June 23, 1853. 


K. S. Stcrrs. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


The life of Henrietta Hamlin was peculiarly a silent, 
though most winning voice. In many respects she 
was like the lovely and fragrant lily of the valley, 
which blooms almost in secret, and shrinkingly con¬ 
ceals its delicate beauties and its sweet odors from 
public observation. It is not easy to delineate such a 
character without despoiling it of one of its most 
attractive charms. 

Should any inquire why a life of such retiring deli¬ 
cacy is brought Rom its protecting shade and exposed 
to the public eye, we answer, it is unto the praise and 
glory of God’s grace. He from whom emanates all 
intellectual and moral beauty has a right to be pub¬ 
licly honored by the exhibition of those gifts and 
graces which are a faint reflection of his own infinite 
loveliness. 

This portraiture may perhaps speak to hearts not 
reached by the usual type of biography; and the his¬ 
tory of Mrs. Hamlin’s early tendency to melancholy, 
which she long struggled against, and finally overcame, 
may not be without advantage to certain young and 
gifted minds, which, for the want of a definite object, 
rest under a cloud, and fail to accomplish any worthy 
end in life. The amount of good performed by so 
shrinking ana delicate a woman, in a comparatively 
retired sphere of missionary life, may also, it is hoped, 
exert an influence in favor of that life upon some, who, 
fearing publicity, and feeling themselves fitted for only 


16 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


the more private walks of usefulness, have never 
consecrated themselves to the cause of missions. 

While, then, we would do no violence to the memory 
of Mrs. Hamlin’s unaffected modesty, we feel assured 
that, however retiring may have been her nature, and 
however humbling her views of herself, she would not 
now be willing to cast a shade over the bright mirror of 
her Saviour’s redeeming love, as exhibited so sweetly 
in her life, and so triumphantly in her death. These 
motives seem abundantly to justify a reverent lifting of 
the veil from the sanctuary of departed loveliness and 
piety. 

In the preparation of these memorials, there have 
been great obstacles, arising from the want of incident, 
and the absence in a great degree of those materials 
whereby the dear departed could speak for herself. 
Had Mrs. Hamlin’s reserve been less, especially in rela¬ 
tion to the workings of her spiritual nature, or had she 
not destroyed so many of her own writings, the record 
of her religious experience would have been much more 
satisfactory. In reference to this, writes Mr. Hamlin, 
“ She said little about her frames and states. She loved 
to pray rather than to talk about prayer. In her daily 
life, she put on humility, charity, patience, meekness 
and whatever is lovely and of good report; but she 
said little about them, and wrote less. It is from this 
characteristic that but few allusions to religious feelings 
are found in her letters. They refer to the passing 
events around her; but there was an awe over Sinai 
and Calvary which made her silent as she approached 
them.” 

From this habit of reserve, the quiet and cheerful 
performance of her daily duties is often our only 
exponent of her spiritual progress. Those, therefore, 
who are accustomed, in a biography, to look for an 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


17 


outpouring of the soul in correspondence, and for free 
extracts from a diary, recording its struggles upward 
towards holiness and heaven, will probably feel a dis¬ 
appointment in not finding a fuller account of Mrs. 
Hamlin’s Christian experience. 

Sensible of these difficulties, the compiler pleads for 
the indulgence of those who knew and loved the 
departed one. And, on the other hand, as the subject 
othese memorials was for many years a most cher¬ 
ished friend, she cannot claim to be a mere impartial 
biographer. It has been her earnest desire so to present 
the character of her angel-friend as to render honor to 
the Saviour whom she loved, to commend the noble 
cause to which she devoted herself, and to win some to 
follow in her footsteps in so far as she followed Christ. 

2 * 


PARENTAGE. 


“ My boast is not that I deduce my birth 
From loins enthroned and rulers of the earth; 

But higher far my proud pretensions rise, — 

The [child] of parents passed into the skies.” 

Cowper. 


In the south-western part of Vermont—a state so 
r mantic and picturesque as to be called the Switzer¬ 
land of America—lies nestled among the Green Moun¬ 
tains the little village of Dorset. It is seldom that we 
see the grand and beautiful in such harmonious com¬ 
bination as in this whole mountain range. Amid pre¬ 
cipitous heights, which rise in grandeur around you, 
are sunny slopes, stretching away in quiet loveliness, 
and smiling in all the fertility of a luxuriant vegetation. 
Occasionally are spread out before you rich pastures or 
fields of waving grain, reminding one of the mountain 
home where dwelt that faithful pastor, Felix Neff, sur¬ 
rounded by his humble and devout flock. At one 
moment, deep, dark ravines open to your view; at the 
next, you look upon intervals of rich verdure, spreading 
out in every direction, like carpets of the deepest green. 
Again, you behold an amphitheatre, sometimes one, 
sometimes three miles in extent, with dark spruce- 
trees, like sentinels, guarding the scene, and lifting 
their evergreen caps on high. Here and there, a moun¬ 
tain brook leaps from some hidden fountain, and, wind¬ 
ing along its babbling way, pours its clear, fertilizing 
wa;ers into the glad bosom of the sleeping vale. At 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


19 


the outer angle of one of these amphitheatres, called 
“The Hollow,” sits Dorset, like a bird among the 
mountains. The road and the stream, having mean¬ 
dered side by side, here diverge, taking between them 
a sugar-loaf hill, a hundred and fifty feet high, which 
rises in lofty beauty, the natural stage of the encom¬ 
passing amphitheatre. 

This spot, with its sublime and picturesque scenery, 
Dr. Dwight pronounced inferior to but one other local¬ 
ity in New England. Here, more than fifty years ago, 
while the place, in its uncultivated beauties, was a 
comparative wilderness, came that good man, William 
Jackson, as a pastor to the humble saints who in this 
quiet valley worshipped God. Literally, as well as 
spiritually, did this faithful shepherd lead his flock in 
green pastures and beside the still waters. 

The father of Mrs. Hamlin, Rev. William Jackson, 
D.D., was born in 1768, at Cornwall, Conn. He was 
blessed in his paternal ancestors, who were distin¬ 
guished for piety and usefulness. When he was but 
three years old, his parents removed to Wallingford, 
Vermont, with a family of eleven children, William 
being the youngest but one. His father was the first 
settler in the town, the first town-clerk, the first repre¬ 
sentative in the Legislature, and the first deacon in the 
church, of which he was truly the main pillar, support¬ 
ing the first minister almost entirely from his own 
resources. 

At the age of sixteen, William became a subject of 
renewing grace, and soon commenced his studies pre¬ 
paratory to the ministry. In 1790 he was graduated 
at Dartmouth College, where he formed a friendship 
with Dr. Porter, of Andover, which continued through 
life. He studied theology with Dr. Emmons and Dr. 
Samuel Spring, whose esteem and confidence he largely 


20 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


shared. He was ordained in Dorset in 1796, only a 
few miles from the home of his childhood, where he 
continued a pastor for nearly half a century, until his 
death in 1842. 

Dr. Jackson was the first elected member of the cor¬ 
poration in Middlebury College. Through his interest 
in promising young men, and his personal influence 
and instructions, more of them were educated from his 
small town than from all the rest of the county 
besides. Near the commencement of the present cen¬ 
tury, when exhausted by his labors in a revival, he 
took a journey on horseback for the benefit of his 
health. During this journey, he visited Salem, Marble¬ 
head, Newburyport and Boston, collecting fifteen hun¬ 
dred dollars as a fund for the assistance of pious young 
men. Thus originated the first education society in 
this country. 

By his influence, Mr. Burr, of a neighboring town, 
the richest merchant in Vermont, bequeathed one hun¬ 
dred thousand dollars to charitable and religious objects, 
twelve thousand of which were to endow a professor¬ 
ship in Middlebury College. Dr. Jackson took a deep 
interest also in the first movements of the foreign 
missionary enterprise. 

In his social character and relations, he won the 
highest respect and affection of all who were connected 
with him. He maintained a uniform Christian cheer¬ 
fulness, enlivened at times by a pleasant humor. His 
ministry was stable, and eminently successful, being 
attended by frequent revivals; and when he died, all, 
even the most ungodly, felt that a good man had fallen. 

As the companion of his labors, Dr. Jackson had 
chosen Susanna, only child of Samuel and Margaretta 
Cram, of Brentwood, N. H., born 1771. Her paternal 
grandmother was Elizabeth Rogers, a lineal descendant, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


21 


of the seventh generation, from John Rogers, the mar¬ 
tyr of Smithfield. No care or expense was spared in 
her intellectual and social culture. Having enjoyed 
the best advantages for education in her native state, 
she attended a select school in Newburyport, boarding 
in the family of the Rev. Dr. Spring. Here was formed 
her first acquaintance with Mr. Jackson. 

In the winter of 1797, soon after Mr. Jackson’s 
ordination, she took leave of her parents for her new 
home among the Green Mountains. At that season of 
the year, to encounter the snows of the forests was an 
undertaking requiring no ordinary courage. In this, as 
in subsequent cases, Mrs. Jackson proved herself equal 
to every emergency. Combining rare personal attrac¬ 
tions, varied and rich accomplishments, with a decided 
literary finite, she yet entered without regret upon the 
serious afflrself-denying duties of her new station. For 
industry, economy, and an air of cheerful comfort, her 
house was a model-home. With her husband’s limited 
salary, it was owing to her frugal housewifery and skil¬ 
ful management that, like the widow’s of Sarepta, her 
barrel of meal and her cruse of oil were never empty. 
But, while thus faithful in the discharge of her domestic 
duties, she did not neglect her higher ones. The bright 
flame of her spiritual life burned clearer and clearer, till 
she passed into the world of glory. The following 
passage from her diary shows that, while engaged in 
perplexing family cares, the tone of her piety raised her 
above them into the sweetest communion with heaven. 

“ Distressed with family cares, workmen and company, I 
thought I could not enjoy any of the privileges of the day. 
But I said, this is my duty, — God has allotted it, and He, 
amidst all my cares, and the multitude of my thoughts within 
me, can cause His comforts to delight my soul. Christ can 


22 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


come into the ship when it is on the sea, tossed with waves, 
as well as into the peaceful chamber. Then came this pas¬ 
sage, ‘Neither death nor life.’—With inexpressible sweetness 
I dwelt on the words, * Nothing shall separate us from the love 
of Christ Jesus, our Lord.’ If death cannot separate us, what 
„ can these cares do ? O, to believe in and wait on the Lord! ” 

Mrs. Jackson was a benefactor to the poor, and an 
ardent lover of the missionary cause, it being her habit 
to sustain at least one heathen child in a mission-school. 
At the age of seventy-seven her mental powers were in 
full activity, and she still kept up that intimate knowl¬ 
edge of the world’s history for which she had been dis¬ 
tinguished. Said a gentleman of the bench, an earnest 
politician, in relation to reports of European commo¬ 
tion, — “ I ’ll call on Mrs. Jackson. She will give me 
more intelligence and juster views than I get from 
all my papers.” 

Her opinions on religious subjects, as well as on all 
others, were particularly discriminating. “ O,” says 
she, “ how the heart is inclined to feed on manna 
already gathered! May I, according to the divine 
command, as cheerfully arise and gather it, as I would 
sweetly feed upon it when gathered.” 

We have lingered thus long upon the character of 
Mrs. Jackson, because with these reminiscences of 
the mother is intimately connected the history of the 
daughter, who was truly blest in descending from an 
ancestral line so hoi ored on earth and so approved in 
heaven. 


INFANCY AND CHILDHOOD. 


** 0 child ! 0 new-born denizen 
Of life’s great city ! on thy head 
The glory of the morn is shed. 

Like a celestial benison ! 

Here at the portal thou dost stand. 

And with thy little hand 

Thou openest the mysterious gate 

Into the future’s undiscovered land.” 

H. W. Longfellow. 

In the sweet seclusion we have described, on the 
ninth of the blossoming month of May, in the year 
ldll, the subject of these memorials first opened her 
eyes upon the light of this world. Happy, as we have 
seen, in her descent in the direct line of the truest nobil¬ 
ity, she was also happy in the beautiful nature which 
encircled her home as with a garden of delights. Thus 
crowned from her birth with spring’s fairest blossoms, 
this sweet infant, by her quiet beauty and gentleness, 
soon won the hearts of all around her. 

But what should they call their May-flower ? Anna 
Loraine, the next older child, then five years of age, 
expressed the wish that her baby-sister should be her 
namesake. This desire, amounting almost to a pas¬ 
sion, continued, until, in her spelling-book at school, 
she found a name which she was willing to substitute 
for her own. It was Henrietta. Soon after, Anna 
Loraine sickened and died. Most natural was it then 
that her wish, so peculiar as to seem almost prophetic, 
should become sacred to her parents. So, at the age 


24 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


of three months, the father baptized his little daughter 
by the name of Henrietta Anna Loraine. 

The infancy of Henrietta is cherished in the recol¬ 
lections of the elder members of the family as unusu¬ 
ally quiet and happy. “ I remember her distinctly,” 
says her brother, “when an infant in her mother’s 
arms; how I played with her as she sat laughing and 
springing in the lap, a happy and beautiful cherub j 
and how intensely I loved her.” 

She was never punished but once, which so grieved 
her tender heart that she sobbed all night. Thus early 
did she manifest that peculiar sensibility for which she 
was afterwards distinguished. 

Her intellectual powers began to expand at an early 
period, but so gradual and harmonious was their devel¬ 
opment as to save her from the dangers attendant upon 
precocity. 

It is the mother’s heart that treasures up the fond 
reminiscences of her children’s infancy and childhood. 
Were Henrietta’s mother still upon earth, she could 
undoubtedly furnish many interesting recollections of 
her daughter’s early years. As it is, but few incidents 
can be given. 

When she was just old enough to walk alone, she 
tottered out one day into the garden, where her father 
was making beds by simply treading his feet between 
them. As he was raking the ground, she came running 
to him,— “Papa carding the ground for?” “You must 
take care and not get your little feet on here.” “Yes, 
I goes in the cracks .” 

Conscientiousness, that delightful trait, which gener¬ 
ally requires such careful cultivation, seems to have 
sprung up in her heart almost in infancy, and continued 
to distinguish her through life. When not old enough 
to make out long words, an elder sister, coming one day 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


25 


into the room, and observing some little delicacy lying 
upon the window untouched, exclaimed, “ Why, how 
is it that you have been here all this time and have n’t 
taken that?” “ Because I must he con — ” “ Do 

you mean that you must be conscientious?” “ Yes, I 

did n’t take it, because it was n’t mine.” 

At the tender age of five years, she evinced much 
thought and feeling on the subject of religion. At this 
time, she began to have particular seasons for prayer, 
and was often overheard to say, “ O Lord, destroy all 
my sins ! ” So far as can be ascertained, these impres¬ 
sions never left her. 

She was early characterized by great refinement of 
feeling, and a sense of propriety which seemed intui¬ 
tive. When about six years of age, she visited a 
sister who was teaching school. Being invited by some 
of the scholars to go home with them at noon, she 
asked and obtained leave to do so. Not many minutes 
had elapsed, when her sister observed her returning in 
haste. “ Why, Henrietta, what does this mean ? Why 
are you back so soon and alone ? ” u In the other 
room, their mother asked them what they brought that 
little girl home for, when they knew she had nothing 
for dinner but brown bread. You don’t think I would 
stay then ? ” 

Though remarkably affectionate, yet in an unusual 
degree did she rely upon herself. In the creations of 
her own imagination, in her books and solitary plays, 
she could always find entertainment. 

Towards everything that lived she was extremely 
gentle and tender-hearted. This natural kindness was 
also manifested in her consideration for the feelings of 
others. If tempted momentarily to resentment, her 
unwillingness to give pain seemed a motive sufficient 
to overcome the temptation. And this reluctance to 
3 


26 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


occasion uneasiness to others led her to conceal hei 
little sufferings and sorrows. 

Her feelings of benevolence were early attracted into 
the missionary channel. She loved to talk about the 
heathen children, and to pray for them. 

When in her seventh year, Dr. Jackson received a 
visit from a clergyman, who, by the blessing of Heaven 
upon the labors of himself and others, has since wit¬ 
nessed the springing of a nation from barbarism into 
the Christian state. This gentleman became so inter¬ 
ested in the little Henrietta, that he afterwards gave a 
particular account of her to Mr. Evarts. That year 
she had poured the contents of her treasury — one dol¬ 
lar and twenty-five cents — into the missionary-box, 
expressing the desire to become herself a teacher to the 
heathen. 11 And who knows,” said he, in finishing his 
story about this dear child, “ who knows but that she 
may yet be a Harriet Newell? ” 

Unlike other children, she preferred the study of 
nature and intellectual pleasures to the childish sports, 
common to her years. At that age she seldom attended 
school, but by her own efforts at home, with only inci¬ 
dental instruction, she attained the rudiments of her 
education. She delighted to task her powers, and to 
solve her own difficulties. In mathematics she espe¬ 
cially excelled. 

An orphan lad in the family, of her own age, would 
often puzzle over his sums, and then go to her. Said 
he, “ Henrietta has only to shut her eyes, and she can 
answer any of the questions.” 

In the memory of her friends is a vivid image of this 
gentle little girl, as she used to sit in a rocking-chair, 
with one hand laid upon the arm of the chair and a 
book in her lap or before her, rocking gently or rapidly 
according to her mood. Thus would she sit hour after 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


27 


hour, entirely absorbed in her book, or in her own 
reflections. 

For a mind like hers, there were undoubtedly pecu¬ 
liar advantages in this course of self-training. Her 
powers were early matured, but it was by no hot-bed 
process of stimulation. In their action they were 
natural, healthful and vigorous. 

Her intellectual character was strongly marked. 
She had a quick perception, and an intuitive power of 
insight. Through the outward manifestations of 
character, she looked into its impelling motives, its 
fundamental elements. Her clear vision rested not on 
the surface of things, but searched into their hidden 
depths. Beneath mere facts she discerned verities 
and principles. 

As a scholar, if not distinguished for brilliancy, she 
was discriminating, persevering and thorough, master¬ 
ing the great principles of any subject with which she 
grappled. Not content with a surface-knowledge, she 
would investigate and compare till she reached its 
primary elements. 

Thus was laid the foundation for the superstructure 
afterwards reared. A complete investigation and 
understanding of any practical matter seemed with her 
a substitute for the initiatory practice usually neces¬ 
sary. As a friend remarks, “ She was as ready for a 
thing, if she had studied it, the first as the fiftieth 
time.” 

She showed an early fondness for books which taN 
the mind and discipline its powers, and even from 
her childhood she was greatly interested in intellectual 
conflicts, being a delighted listener to those discussions 
of a metaphysical character which so often occur 
around the pastor’s fireside. Although there was an 
air of sedateness in her general appearance, she had a 


28 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


quick sense of the ludicrous, and a keen relish for 
repartee, having a peculiar enjoyment of her father’s 
quiet humor, at which she was wont to laugh most 
heartily. 

At the age of twelve she left home to attend the 
school of her sister Margaret, then teaching in Rutland, 
Yermont. 

Under the nurturing care of her judicious and excel¬ 
lent parents, the development of her social, mental and 
moral nature had, up to this time, been beautifully 
harmonious ; and, by a shorter process than usual, she 
was now nearly prepared to step from childhood i ito 
woina ihood. 


“ Standing with reluctant feet 
Where the brook and river meet, 
Womanhood and childhood fleet! 

“ Hear’st thbu voices on the shore, 
That our ears perceive no more, 
Deafened by the cataract’s roar ? ” 


EARLY SCHOOL-DAYS AND LOVE 
OF NATURE. 

** And lo ! unto the child. 

From out each single, silent flower, 

Some holy angel smiled ; 

And ever to the child there dwelt 
Upon the perfumed air 
The sound of holy orisons, 

Of matin and of prayer.” 

Soon after Henrietta went to Rutland, she received a 
letter from her mother, so full of maternal affection and 
scriptural counsel, that we cannot forbear giving it 
almost entire. 

“Dorset, May 31, 1823. 

“ Dear Henrietta : 

^ ^ X 

'7V* *7v' W '/v* *7v* W 

* “ Go to your Bible. There you will find instructions, 

precepts and examples, to guide both your thoughts and your 
actions, and teach you how to order your conversation aright. 
Let it always be seasoned with grace, and whatever you do, let 
it be in meekness and in the fear of God. Read a chapter in 
your Bible every morning and evening, for it contains the 
words of eternal life. If you take heed to it, as to a light shin¬ 
ing in a dark place, it will keep your feet from falling, your 
eyes from tears, and your soul from death. If you have a 
relish for spiritual things, the truths of the Bible will become 
the precious bread of life, on which your soul will feed, and be 
satisfied as with marrow and fatness. If you will listen to the 
word of God, and set your heart to walk in his ways, you shall 
want no good thing. You shall have honey from the rock and 

3 * 


30 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


oil from the flinty rock; the heavens shall pour you down 
blessings, and streams of salvation shall attend you all the 
desert through; Jordan shall be divided before you, and you 
shall enter the promised land singing the song of Moses and 
the Lamb. 

“ But, my dear Henrietta, I am afraid of the vanities of 
childhood, and the follies of youth. I am afraid of the allure¬ 
ments of the world, the temptations and snares of the adver¬ 
sary, and the depravity of your heart. Watch against these 
and stand fast in the faith; that is, believe all God’s word, 
pray always, bear the cross, account the world’s treasures un¬ 
certain and unsatisfying, imitate the example of your Saviour, 
live for Him who died for you, and be always ready for the 
summons of death. Now, my dear child, I commend you to 
Him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you 
spotless before the throne of His glory. 

“ With affection, 

“ Your Mother.” 

Owing, probably, to her previous solitary habits, 
Henrietta never liked to study in school, but, even 
at this early period, would prepare her recitations in 
her own room. Yet after her sister was released, she 
was unwilling to be separated from her. 

“ What a baby! ” said one of her schoolmates, as 
she was clinging to her sister; “if I were in her place, 
I would give you a good shaking.” 

Remarks of this kind sank into her heart; and a 
few similar experiences made her retire within herself, 
fearful of being wounded. Such incidents confirmed 
her natural diffidence and reserve, and concentrated 
her affections on the few who, she felt, understood her. 
Yet her swee-t countenance, her winning modesty and 
her delicacy of manners, placed her high in the esteem 
of all. 

While under the charge of her sister, Henrietta ex- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


31 


hibited a great fondness for the natural sciences, as 
might have been expected from her love of nature. 

In chemistry she made unusual proficiency. In after 
years, when told that she must study the kitchen as 
well as books, she used to reply, “ Any one can be a 
good cook who understands chemistrya remark 
which her subsequent experience made good, so far at 
least as she was concerned. 

In the fall Henrietta returned to her quiet seclusion 
among the mountains. We can imagine with what 
delight her eye again rested upon the enchanting 
scenery around her home, now clad in its rich autum¬ 
nal foliage. From her earliest childhood, she had been 
an impassioned lover of nature. 

A south window in one of the chambers of the dear 
homestead commanded a delightful view. It looked 
out upon a lovely valley, extending in fertile beauty 
towards the south, hemmed in by the distant moun¬ 
tains, whose peaks are lost in the expanse of blue 
above. On either side of this quiet vale, the Green 
Mountains' stretch along, with their varying outlines 
distinctly marked upon the face of the sky. Their 
verdant sides are sprinkled with farm-houses, and dis¬ 
play rich fields of grain, with occasional patches of 
forest, while their fair summits, covered with ever¬ 
greens, and sometimes capped with fleecy clouds, rise 
in their sublimity towards heaven. 

At this window Henrietta would sit in her rocking- 
chair, a favorite book within reach, and, with folded 
arms, gaze upon the magnificent picture, till she was 
lost in its entrancing beauties. 

“So, touched with awe, athwart her face 
There steals a softer, soberer grace; 

And evermore the earth, the air, 

To her shall holier aspect wear.” 


32 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


That the scenery of her mountain-home made its 
own impress upon her character cannot be doubted. 
Her mind was of a poetic cast, and for true poetry she 
ever had the keenest relish. But in the great and 
changeful book of Nature did she most delight to read. 
And, as she advanced in years, her love for it grew 
more and more intense. At this fountain of healthful 
and inspiring waters she drank and drank, till her 
whole being was penetrated by the sweet voices of 
nature, and she, in return, had animated it with the 
glow of her own elevated thoughts and feelings. The 
mountains, with their ever-varying shades and hues, 
were to her like a familiar friend. Whether robed in 
their fresh spring-time garments, or covered with the 
gold and crimson drapery of autumn, they always 
brought the purest inspiration. Sometimes she woulc 
gaze upon the delicate veil of mist that enwreathed 
their brows, or the light fanciful clouds that gracefully 
draped their verdant slopes. Again, she would watch 
the dark storm-clouds that skirted the horizon, till, 
creeping over the mountain-tops, they enveloped them 
in showers, while the bright sunlight still shone upon 
the sweet valley below. 

On one object in this ever-varying landscape her eye 
rested with never-wearied delight. It was a towering 
elm, whose immense trunk, rising to a great height 
without branch or bough, finally terminated in a splen¬ 
did crown of gracefully-drooping branches, clothed 
with the densest and most verdant foliage. It was a 
noble relic of the primeval forest. As Henrietta sat at 
her window in the dreamy twilight, this magnificent 
tree seemed to stand as one of the pillars of the firma¬ 
ment ; and, as it proudly rose towards heaven, it bore 
her thoughts upward to Him that sitteth above the 
firmament. At this beloved tree she gazed and gazed, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


33 


until her rapt spirit became almost engrafted upon it. 
In her letters, when absent from home, mention was 
made of it as among her choicest friends. Being thus 
associated in the hearts of her family with her sweetest 
communings, it received the name of “ Henrietta's elm” 
a name which it still hears. It originally stood upon 
her father’s land, but, upon a transfer of the ground to 
other hands, a stipulation was made that this tree 
should be spared. Thus carefully protected, Henri¬ 
etta's elm yet lifts up its regal crown in all its primal 
grandeur. Hallowed by time, and by the endearments 
of its enthusiastic admirer’s childhood and youth, as 
well as by her sad adieu, this precious memento is still 
cherished with tender interest by all who loved her. 

By the silent influence of nature, Henrietta’s mind 
was cultivated, her taste refined, and all her social and 
mental powers purified and ennobled. By this, too, her 
heart was often lifted from the impassioned love of 
created beauty to the adoration of the great Creator. 
And if, at one time, there were any morbid tendencies 
connected with this intense sympathy with nature, it 
was owing partly to that excess of sensibility before 
alluded to, and in part to causes hereafter to be con¬ 
sidered. 

During the winters, which were generally passed at 
home, Henrietta zealously pursued her studies. At 
what time she commenced the Latin language is not 
certainly known. She enjoyed the privilege of attend 
ing to her classical studies under the care of her ven¬ 
erated father, who had fitted many students for college. 
She had an unusual facility in acquiring languages, 
owing in part to her patient and thorough mastering at 
first of their fc undation principles. In a letter, 'written 
by her father to his son, before she was sixteen, he 
&ays, “ Henrietta makes one of the most correct Latin 


34 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


scholars; has almost finished the first six books of 
Virgil.” 

Having read Virgil and Cicero, she began the Greek, 
in which language, also, she made considerable pro¬ 
ficiency. Thus did the long wintry months pass cheer¬ 
fully away, each hour bearing its own burden of useful 
and elevating occupation. 

When the trees began to put forth their tender buds, 
and the modest spring-flowers were everywhere lifting 
up their graceful heads, Henrietta was in her element. 
Her love of flowers was a passion which never left her. 
In the cultivation of her garden she took great delight. 
Under her superintending care was gathered and cher¬ 
ished a parterre of Flora’s choicest treasures. Here 
her exquisite delicacy of taste, and her innate love of 
the beautiful, found some of their sweetest gratifica¬ 
tions. 


‘ ‘ Such be thy portion! the bliss to look 
With a reverent spirit through nature’s book ; 
By fount, by forest, by river’s line, 

To track the paths of love divine.” 


LATER SCHOOL-DAYS AND RELI¬ 
GIOUS DEVELOPMENT. 


“ And now my spirit sighs for home. 

And longs for light whereby to see; 

And, like a weary child, would come, 

0 Father, unto thee ! ” 

J. G. Whittier. 


Of the development of Henrietta’s spiritual nature 
during this period, hut little is known. In communi¬ 
cating her religious feelings, she was reserved, even 
with her dearest friends. But her mind, which had so 
early been sensitive to sacred truth, is believed to have 
continued under its influence. “ In her childhood,” 
says Mr. Hamlin, 11 she suffered for months a degree 
of mental anguish, in regard to her spiritual state, 
which wore seriously upon her health; but though 
often questioned by her watchful mother, she did not 
disclose the cause of her grief and gloom, till her 
anxiety became insupportable.” It was her mother’s 
impression that in the morning of her childhood this 
chosen lamb was gathered into the Saviour’s fold. The 
excellent letter, introduced in the preceding chapter, 
might naturally have been addressed to a child whose 
feet were early planted in wisdom’s ways. We believe, 
too, that it was Henrietta’s prevailing judgment that 
she was converted in childhood. 

It was one of those beautiful cases in which, like the 
lingering approaches of a summer’s morning over the 
eastern hills, the first faint dawn of spiritual life is so 


36 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


gradually developed, that it is difficult to tell the pre¬ 
cise moment when the night of sin ceases and the day- 
star of love arises. There was certainly nothing in her 
life which would have contradicted a Christian profes¬ 
sion. And yet, from some of the spiritual elevations 
afterwards gained, she probably looked back upon this 
period as the comparative wilderness in her heaven¬ 
ward journey. 

In the summer of 1825, she attended a school in 
Chester, Vt., under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Bur- 
nap. The following letter from him gives us some idea 
of the maturity and symmetry of her character at this 
time: 

“ She was one about whom very little could be said, except 
in a monotonous strain of commendation. Her character was 
developed in such perfect proportions that nothing seemed 
strikingly prominent, and its beauty was discovered only by a 
careful observation of the whole. 

“Mrs. Hamlin, when under my instruction, was about 
fourteen years of age ; and in her deportment there was such 
simplicity, combined with the dignity of self-respect, and the 
most perfect propriety of manners, that even an unkind critic 
could find nothing to censure. Her habits were rather retiring 
than social. Improvement was evidently her great object. 
She was a devoted student, and her recitations showed that she 
had not sought knowledge in vain. In every branch of study 
she seemed to have a full comprehension of her subject, and 
recited more like one who had made the lesson than like one 
who had only learned it. 

“ One thing which has lived in my recollection more dis¬ 
tinctly than any other was a superior intellect combined with 
all the lovely sensibilities of her sex. There was nothing mas¬ 
culine in her temper or in her deportment. In all her feelings 
and habits she was a lady. While her recitations evinced 
deep thought and comprehension of the subject, they were 
always characterized with genuine modesty. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


37 


“ There was so little for her teacher to do by way of expla¬ 
nation or correction, that I sometimes seriously questioned my 
own fidelity, and when she left I had the feeling that I had 
done but little for her. She had so quietly and so perfectly 
attended to every exercise, that I was hardly conscious of any 
responsibility; though, in view of her own developments, as 
well as her family connections, she was an object of lively and 
permanent interest during her life. 

“In hei brief but grand career, I have followed her with 
something of parental solicitude, combined with that venera¬ 
tion which we always feel for sanctified intellect and godly 
enterprise. ‘ She has done what she couldand should not 
such a laborer have rest ? ” 

The succeeding winter she spent, as usual, in her 
beloved home. As she advanced in years, she grew 
only more devoted to her books, being studious to a 
proverb. Said her mother at one time: “If Henrietta 
has got another book, we shall see no more of her till 
that is used up.” 

It requires no inconsiderable energy and perseverance 
for a young lady, at even a more mature age, system¬ 
atically to pursue her studies at home. And we can¬ 
not, without deep interest, contemplate this young girl, 
only fourteen, as, with no stimulus but her own thirst- 
in gs for knowledge, she/ quietly and steadily pursued 
her course of self-culture. There was in her an unu¬ 
sual combination of energy and firmness with great 
delicacy of character. Discouragement was no part of 
her nature. She deliberated before undertaking, but, 
having determined upon a course, no obstacles pre¬ 
vented her persevering to the end. 

She delighted in such works as called forth effort, 
and opened new fields of thought. Her reading she 
made a study, not resting till she possessed a compre- 
4 


38 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


hensive view of the whole subject, with which she 
mingled her own reflections. 

In her habits as a student, she was, as we have 
seen, independent, relying upon her own exertions, and 
preferring the ordinary road of patient labor and perse¬ 
vering research, to any royal highway. The following 
extract from a letter, written during her school-days, 
expresses her characteristic feelings on this point: 

“ The French lessons of late are taken from Telemachus, and 
the girls have an English translation, so that they are able to 
make wonderful progress. But I am not afraid of them ; they 
are cheating themselves in the end, and will like a little of my 
assistance when they cannot have it from the translation. 
They offered it to me, but I told them I preferred my Diction¬ 
ary.” 

Of these years no particular incidents can be 
gathered. Nor can materials be collected from her 
own letters written at this time, since almost none of 
them are in existence. She was in the habit of destroy¬ 
ing everything she had written, on which she could, by 
any means, lay her hand. She wrote much for her 
Sabbath-class, for which she ever manifested a deep 
interest; but these papers she carefully consigned to 
oblivion. Thus, of this period of life, of which it 
would be so deeply interesting to her friends, and par¬ 
ticularly to her little daughters, to have full accounts, 
scarcely any reminiscences can be obtained. And, in 
addition, it should be said, that there was such a sym¬ 
metry and harmony in the development of her various 
powers, forming so perfect a balance of character, that 
to delineate it correctly, and that without the drapery 
of incident, is a task extremely difficult, if not impos¬ 
sible. 

The next school which she attended was in Brook- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


39 


field, Mass., where she was attracted for the sake of 
being near her sister, wife of the Rev. Mr. Maltby, then 
the pastor of a church in Sutton. Of this summer we 
have no record, except a single letter to her brother, the 
Rev. Dr. Jackson, which, with a few others, escaped 
the general destruction. The following brief extract 
from this letter illustrates Henrietta’s desire for im¬ 
provement, and her low estimate of self: 

“ I am glad you did not go home when you expected, for the 
good reason that I was not there. I am in good health and 
spirits, enjoying myself right well. I have been studying In¬ 
tellectual Philosophy (Upham’s Sequel, very interesting 
indeed), Logic, Natural History and Botany; have made 
tolerable progress in them all. I intend to study at home this 
winter, and go somewhere to school next summer. I think it 
important that I should, if I ever expect to know anything or be 
anything in the world, — which is not probable.” 

Early the ensuing spring, in writing to her brother 
respecting her plans for the summer, she says: 

“ I have so often gone from home with high hopes and ex¬ 
pectations, and they were all disappointed, that I think it not 
worth while to hope or expect much about myself, only that 1 
shall always be about what I now am. One thing I am 
resolved upon: to make greater exertions and sacrifices of self, 
peace and ease, to overcome the dislike I always had of being 
in company very superior to myself, where pride suffers unac¬ 
countably, and, from a painful sense of inferiority, jealousy is 
always on the look-out for some insult. Now, don’t laugh at 
this. It looks as ridiculous to me as it does to you; but it is 
too sad a reality. I have begun to think that the best way of 
getting along is to think yourself as good as anybody else, and 
entitled to as much respect. 

“ There are so many obstacles in my way that I sometimes 


40 MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 

think it best to relinquish my plan of leaving home. But, if I 
relinquish it now, it must be forever, which would undoubtedly 
be the occasion of bitter regret through life.” 

In this same letter she speaks of herself as “an 
awkward girl,” while almost every one wa§ ..impressed 
with her easy and graceful demeanor. In connection 
with the most acute sensitiveness, she had a large 
share of that peculiar self-distrust which character¬ 
izes certain temperaments. 

Henrietta felt that there was an objection to her 
changing schools so frequently, and expressed herself 
decidedly on this point. But, for reasons to which her 
judgment assented, it was concluded that she should 
attend the academy in Haverhill, Mass. 

The estimation in which she was held by her com¬ 
panions is evident by the following letter from one of 
her schoolmates: 

* * * * * “ It is more than twenty-three years since 
Henrietta Jackson became a member of the academy at Haver¬ 
hill, where 1 also was a pupil. We had no intimacy in school, 
for there she was always studying. But we often passed 
delightful evenings together at her boarding-house, preparing 
our French exercises. I was much impressed by her conscien¬ 
tiousness, and by the strength of her home-affections. She 
gave evidence then of her capability beautifully to fill the 
relations of wife and mother. 

“ Her personal appearance was very pleasing. Gentleness, 
intelligence and earnestness, were legibly stamped upon her 
countenance. She was unlike the rest of her schoolmates, — 
more quiet, more dignified, more serious, than the others. Her 
deportment in school was unvaryingly examplary, her recita¬ 
tions always excellent. 

“ There was not a member of the school who did not regard 
her with sincere respect. But few were admitted to her 
intimacy. Those who we *e so favored marvelled at the 


MEMOIRS OP MRS. HAMLIN. 


41 


pure and tender and beautiful and lofty traits of character thus 
revealed to them.” 

This testimonial is the more valuable, as it comes 
from one who was but thirteen at the time of her 
acquaintance with Henrietta, and who never met her 
afterwards. To have made so pleasant and so endur¬ 
ing an impression upon her young friend, she must 
have been possessed of uncommon loveliness and 
excellence. 

The testimony of her teacher at this time shows in 
what affectionate esteem she held her : 

“ I remember Henrietta Jackson as one of those scholars of 
whom I could wish a whole school composed. My impression 
is, that she was never found wanting in any duty; that she 
was always in her place at the proper time; that her lessons 
were uniformly prepared and understandingly recited; that 
she was even-tempered, amiable, obliging, respectful, gentle, 
polite and good. Her natural diffidence and reserve pre¬ 
vented my having so free an intercourse with her as with 
many others ; and 1 don’t think she ever had an idea how much 
interest I felt in her, nor how sorry I was to have her leave.” 

The following extract from a letter to her brother, 
written near the close of the term, exhibits something 
of this diffidence : 

“ I want unaccountably to get rid of the examination. Can¬ 
not you contrive some way ? It is certain that I should not 
make a just appearance to myself, as I should feel embarrassed, 
and make blunders in French pronunciation, and perhaps in 
phrases.” 

A few weeks after her returr to Dorset, she writes 
thus to that school-friend from wnose letter a quotation 
has just been given : 

4 * 


42 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ II., spare your accusations. Do not condemn without first 
hearing. 

These are some of the reasons why 
I have not written before; if they are sufficient to prove me 
innocent of neglect or indolence, well; if not, you must give 
sentence according to your judgment. But, if I could have the 
priv lege of assigning my punishment, I would say, let it be 
nothing more nor less than that this letter be answered 
immediately. # ^ # 

# # # # Why cannot you cross the Green Mountains, 

some evening, and read a few pages of French poetry to me ? 
You may be sure of my company back. 

“ I should love to point out to you the beauties of my native 
vale, — its bold cliffs and rugged steps. It never looked half so 
delightfully to me before. The mountains have put on the 
variegated garb of autumn. The trees are loaded with the 
fruits of the season, and everything has come to its maturity. 
I gaze about me with more enthusiasm than I ever supposed 
myself to possess. But enough of this. I am such an 
admirer of mountain scenery that I should never tire of talking 
about it.” 

Towards the close of the letter she characteristically 
adds, 11 Will you please to see that my composition is 
destroyed? ” 

Although Henrietta, like the bee, had labored assid¬ 
uously in collecting sweets from the summer flowers, 
yet her ardor for knowledge was by no means abated. 
From the hardier plants of winter she continued to 
gather honey for her rapidly accumulating stores. 

She took pleasure in reading such hooks as Hopkins’ 
System of Divinity, Edwards on the Affections, Stuart’s, 
Reid’s and Brown’s Intellectual Philosophy, the works 
of Dick and Isaac Taylor. But she had no taste for 
the ephemeral productions of the day. Says her 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


43 


brother, 11 1 am not aware that she ever wasted an 
hour in perusing light, trashy literature.” 

She had a peculiar interest in all speculations relat¬ 
ing to the spiritual world. As she once, in conversa¬ 
tion with her brother, named some theories in regard 
to the presence and agency of spirits, and their influence 
on the mind, he playfully remarked, “ I am above such 
notions ; ” to which she as playfully retorted, “ Perhaps 
you are beneath them.” 

While she exhibited this fondness for intellectual 
pursuits, her social nature, as manifested in the kindly 
atmosphere of home, was not behind in its develop¬ 
ment. Though, as we have seen, reserved with 
strangers, in her intercourse with her family she was 
cheerful and animated, and an occasional mirthful¬ 
ness made her a most agreeable companion. She was 
an example of filial affection and respect, and was 
ever desirous to make all around her happy, even at 
the expense of her own ease. Her particular friend¬ 
ships were few, but strong and enduring. 

Her delicacy of character appeared in her counte¬ 
nance, her conversation and her manners; so that the 
first impression of a stranger in beholding her was that 
of peculiar refinement. The same cultivated taste was 
manifested in her dress, and in her regard for all the 
little proprieties of life she was equally delicate and 
considerate. 

The following summer,— that of 1829,— she attended 
the Female Academy at Andover, Mass., making her 
home with her brother, the pastor of the church in the 
west parish of that town. This gave her, morning and 
evening, a pleasant rural walk of more than a mile. 

While at this academy, she formed with one of her 
schoolmates a friendship which continued through life. 
At this time Henrietta was eighteen years of age; and 


44 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


a more lovely and attractive girl is not often met with. 
Her countenance was one not easily forgotten. There 
was in it a blending of intellect and sensibility, of force 
and delicate feminine loveliness, such as is rarely seen. 
A lofty forehead, upon which was simply parted her 
raven hair; a deep, earnest, kindling eye, which told of 
a world of hidden emotions, beneath that calm and 
reserved exterior; and a mouth expressive of decision 
yet sweetness, awakened a peculiar interest in those 
who saw her. She blushed easily, and her friends 
could readily interpret the varying lights and shades 
that played over her speaking countenance. At times, 
her face glowed with the lighting up of the spirit 
within. Her manners harmonized with her counte¬ 
nance, and, reserved as she was in general, she opened 
herself freely to her friends. With them she exhibited 
an occasional animation and sprightliness hardly looked 
for in one of her sedate demeanor. 

Such was she at this period, when her intimacy with 
the friend just referred to commenced. They studied 
and walked and read together, and their communings 
were frequent and delightful. A golden season is 
recalled, when from the western windows of an upper 
story they gazed together upon one of those gorgeous 
sunsets for which Andover Hill is distinguished. As 
she looked upon the extended landscape, spread out in 
greenness and beauty, and bathed in the rich mellow 
light of the departing day, and as she traced upon the 
glowing sky the clear outline of Wachuset, fifty miles 
distant, she could find no words to express her delight. 
In a letter written to this friend nine years after, she 
thus refers to the scene : 

“ I should like to look in upon you in your pleasant room, 
away up in the third story. And I almost envy your enjoy- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


45 


ment of the glorious western sky. I can imagine something 
of its beauty, for I once beheld a sunset from those windows 
which I shall never forget, — such an one as I have never seen 
elsewhere. It was long ago, when life was new to me, and my 
heart went out after every beautiful thing.” 

She took a peculiar delight in hearing poetry read or 
recited, and on one of her visits to her friend she list¬ 
ened with intense interest to several exquisite passages 
from Lalla Rookh, with which she then met for the 
first time. 

They were fellow-pupils in a French class, under 
the care of the Rev. Mr. Schauffier, now a beloved 
missionary to the children of Abraham in Turkey. In 
a letter dated three years from this time, she thus 
alludes to him: 

“ I have been reading a little French lately, to keep off the 
glooms. It brings back those happy school-days, our recitation- 
room, and all the pleasant things associated with it, the favored 
French class, and our good teacher, Mr. Schauffier. You 
remember his parting address to us, — so full of eloquence. I 
never shall forget it. It makes me sad to think what an ardu¬ 
ous life is before him ; but his bliss is beyond our ken. There 
is rest for him in heaven. That this rest may be ours is the 
prayer of your friend, Henrietta.” 

Nearly eighteen years after, in addressing the same 
friend from Constantinople, she thus writes of her 
eldest daughter, Henrietta : 

“ She speaks Greek and Armenian fluently, Turkish pretty 
well, and reads French and German with Mr. Schauffier, who 
takes a great interest in her improvement. How strange a 
story it would have seemed to me, had I been told, when Mr. 
Schauffier was our teacher in Andover, that he would one day 
teach my children in the far-off city of Constantinople! ” 


46 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


In the r daily intercourse, these friends wove many 
plans for the future. There was doubtless some romance 
in the life which they pictured for themselves, and yet 
it was by no means an inactive one. 

The summer of 1831 she spent in Sutton, Mass., in 
the family of her brother, the Rev. Mr. Maltby. While 
there, she yielded to the urgent entreaties of others, 
and took charge of a school, which she managed to the 
entire satisfaction of all concerned. Indeed, she was by 
nature peculiarly fitted for usefulness in this department. 
She easily gained the affection and confidence of chil¬ 
dren, and she had unusual skill in impressing ideas upon 
their minds. By her intuitive insight into character, she 
was enabled to judge with great accuracy what meas¬ 
ures were best adapted to influence and develop a child. 

Although, as we have seen, Henrietta’s mother 
cherished the belief, in which she herself shared, that 
in early childhood her heart had been touched by the 
finger of God, yet it was undoubtedly the case that, for 
a time, her spiritual interests had lost in her eyes their 
paramount importance. She was not, however, at rest 
in this*state of comparative estrangement from God. 
During the summer of which we speak, her mind was 
almost entirely absorbed by her religious concerns; but, 
after a season of deep anxiety, she found relief in the 
blood of sprinkling. On her return from this visit, 
she became connected with her father’s church. The 
account which she at that time gave of her spiritual 
history has fortunately been preserved. 

“ In the summer of 1831, while from home, and employed 
in teaching, I was led to see that there was nothing in all I 
had been looking forward to in this world that could make me 
happy. It seemed that if even all my most ambitious schemes 
should succeed, — if all of this world’s good I had ever proposed 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


47 


to myself were to be given me, —I should still be restless and 
dissatisfied, — still as far from happiness as before. I then 
determined to give up all expectation from the world, and to 
direct the whole energy of my soul to the work of becoming a 
Christian. This I resolved to do as soon as I should be 
released from the cares of my employment. When the pro¬ 
posed time came, I remembered my promise, but felt reluct¬ 
ant to perform it. If I thought of God, it was as a being I 
had offended, and who could not look upon me with any com¬ 
placency. The glories and perfections of his character had no 
attractions for me. I had always felt a kind of admiration for 
his wisdom and goodness, as displayed in the works of 
nature, and had sometimes thought I loved him; but I now 
felt that there was no love for God in my heart. It shrank 
from the thought of spending an eternity with him in heaven. 
I was wretched, — dissatisfied with myself and with every¬ 
thing else. After having been for some weeks in this state of 
mind, my attention was turned to those passages of scripture 
which speak of the sinner as given up of God. It seemed as 
if there were some who could not be saved consistently with 
his honor and justice. None were more likely to be of this 
number than myself. For I was conscious of having long and 
basely abused his offered mercy. My thoughts were here 
interrupted; but when they again reverted to the things of 
religion, I was surprised to find my feelings respecting them 
changed. I now thought of God as a being whom all must 
love , if they should see him as he is. The requirement to 
love him supremely seemed perfectly just and reasonable. 
When 1 thought of God in the person and character of Jesus 
Christ, — of his kind and condescending efforts to save the 
world, — it seemed too much for any heart to resist. It was 
strange that my own could ever have been indifferent to such 
excellence and perfection. For having done so, my heart 
appeared to me more base and ungrateful than ever before. 
Dissatisfaction with myself increased; but I felt peace in 
believing that such a God governed the universe, and would 
dispose of all events in the best manner. I hope I have given 


48 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


myself and all my interests up to him, and that I shall hence¬ 
forth seek for happiness only in doing his pleasure. 

“ H. A. L. Jackson.” 

About this time, — it is uncertain whether before or 
after her connection with the church,— she was early 
one evening walking in the garden. The sun was just 
disappearing behind the mountains, whose summits 
were bathed in their heritage of glory. Here, sur¬ 
rounded with beauty and grandeur, at the fair shrine 
of nature, she worshipped the God of nature till she 
was rapt — entranced. The strength of her emotions 
overtasked her delicate physical frame, and a hemorr¬ 
hage of the lungs — her first attack — followed this 
unusual excitement. 

“ In such access of mind, in such high hour 
Of visitation from the living God, 

Thought was not, — in enjoyment it expired. 

No thanks she breathed, she proffered no request, 

Rapt into still communion, that transcends 
The imperfect offices of prayer and praise ” 


TEACHING.—MORBID TENDENCIES. 


“ And wilt Thou hear the fevered heart 
To Thee in silence cry t 
And, as the inconstant wild-fires dart 
Out of the restless eye. 

Wilt Thou forgive the wayward thought. 
By kindly woes yet half untaught, 

A Saviour’s right, so dearly bought 
That hope should never die 1 ” 


It is the case with some persons, that their letters are 
such a daguerreotype of their social and intellectual 
nature, that one may know them almost as intimately 
through their epistles as from personal intercourse. To 
claim this, however, for Henrietta, would do her great 
injustice. Her natural repugnance to writing was such 
as neither her peculiar pleasure in receiving letters nor 
her habits of system could overcome. In her letters, 
therefore, is seen not so much the vivid reflection, as a 
very shadowy glimpse, of her real self. Still, they can¬ 
not fail to impress the idea of her distinct individuality. 
From them it is evident that there are hidden foun¬ 
tains of feeling, of which her expressions give hut a 
faint representation. As her letters to her friend M. 
are the only correspondence of this period which has 
been preserved, a free use will be made of -them. It 
had been one of their favorite projects to be associated 
as teachers; but, being for a time disappointed in this, 
her friend accepted a situation in the south-western 
part of Vermont, not very far from Henrietta’s beauti- 
5 


50 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


ful home. The extracts which follow are from letters 
written at this time. 


“ Dorset, June 9th, 1832. 

“ Dear M.: I am happy to think of you as so near, 
though this pleasure is indeed a small compensation for all the 
happiness I had promised myself in being with you this sum¬ 
mer. Disappointment was not entirely unlooked for. I 
feared and expected it, as I have learned to do where much is 
hoped. But I do not intend a page of moralizing, for I have 
sat down this morning on purpose to ask you, with all the per¬ 
suasion and entreaty I can use, to pass your coming vacation 
with me, at my own happy home. This request has been in 
my heart a long time, and I have only been waiting for the 
present opportunity to urge it. I don’t know how I could brook 
disappointment, and mean not to think of it as a possible thing. 
Teachers’ vacations are precious, and you will wish to make 
the most of yours; still, I must hope, where it is so pleasant to 
hope. Write soon, and tell me I may. Tell me when your 
visiting-time will come, that I may anticipate those weeks with 
more certainty. 

“ I have heard of you twice at B., but I should like to know 
from yourself all about your situation. Are you as much 
interested in teaching as you expected to be ? I should like to 
look in upon you this morning in the presiding chair. 

“ I find myself more and more averse to teaching, the longer 
I rest from it. While enjoying the peace and quiet of home, 
it sometimes requires considerable logic to convince myself 
that the easiest life is not the happiest. The school I had last 
summer was offered me some weeks since, but I shrink from 
its cares and responsibilities. They seem a mountain’s weight 
to me. 

“ The letter you wrote me at A. found me this side of the 
Green Mountains, and lost nothing of its value in the long 
journey. Don’t forbear your moralizing again for my sake, 
when you are in a mood for it. I should relish a page of it at 
almost any time. I have not yet asked you how you like our 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


51 


Vermont scenery. We have had such gloomy weather that I 
conjecture it has not looked very pleasant to you. I did not 
know before that sunshine was so essential to my happiness.” 
* * * 


“Dorset, Sept. 28th, 1832. 

“ 1 cannot tell you, my dear M., how very, very glad your 
letter made me. It was handed me last evening, and I could 
not help exclaiming, in my joy and surprise, as I recognized the 
superscription, ‘ What a good, good girl M. is ! ’ And as the 
full pages unfolded, I was ready to exclaim again, ‘ My punish¬ 
ment is better than I could have asked! ’ I thank you a 
thousand times for your letter, and another thousand for your 
kind promise to give us those coming weeks of vacation. * * 
* * I write in too much haste for excuses this morning, or 

I would tell you why I have not written for so many weeks. 
I admire your charity and forbearance, and know not how I 
shall ever make compensation. The business of to-day is 
pressing and peculiar, else I would not send you all this white 
paper, and leave so much unsaid that I wish to say. Good¬ 
morning ! ” 

At the appointed time her friend visited her in her 
mountain nest. There they made delightful excur¬ 
sions, ascending sometimes into the regions of the 
clouds, and again descending into some cave of the 
mountains. To look together upon such enchanting 
scenery was, indeed, a pleasure. But more delightful 
was their uninterrupted communion. Night after night 
they sat, sometimes by an open window, and some¬ 
times out watching the dying embers, but never weary 
of weaving golden dreams. Their project of teach¬ 
ing in company was one of the favorite plans dis¬ 
cussed. And the following extracts from letters writ¬ 
ten during the next winter show that their hearts were 
fully set upon it. 


52 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ I have been waiting for another and another mail to 
bring a letter from Mr. F. before I should write, thinking I 
could sit down with a more cheerful heart when I might be 
able to relieve your suspense, and tell a good story about the 
success of our plan. Every day’s waiting made it more prob¬ 
able that the next would bring the expected letter. Thus day 
after day has passed, till a great many weeks are gone, — so 
many that I dare not sum them up, lest I should be scared out 
of my present purpose to write, and conclude that you had 
finisned your school and gone back to A. 

“ 1 don’t think you will forget our curious expedition; cer¬ 
tainly not, if novelty and queer incidents can entitle it to 
remembrance. * * 

“ I have been writing in our sitting-room in the midst of 
cushion, carpet, dress-making and ever so much business. 
Some of it is waiting for me; so 1 will bid you good-morning, 
in the hope of hearing from you soon, if I should be disap¬ 
pointed as to the visit.” 

“ The long-expected letter has at length arrived, and I hasten 
to tell you of it. You will see that the school is in reserve for 
us. It formerly flourished well, and is considered likely to do 
so now, if opened under favorable auspices.” 

While this matter was still pending, a proposition 
was made to her friend to open an academy in Cats- 
kill, N. Y. She immediately wrote a letter urging 
Henrietta’s cooperation in this new undertaking, to 
which the following is a reply: 

“Dorset, Feb’y 23rd, 1833. 

“ My dear M.: Yours of the 16th is just now received. 
Its seal was broken with a trembling hand. Perhaps arrange¬ 
ments had been made that would overturn our plan for next 
summer, and so all my fond anticipations must be given up. 
I feared there had been insincerity in the prayer, ‘ Lord, as 
thou shalt see best. I will find my happiness in doing thy 
pleasure, whatever that may be.’ 0 ! why can we not always 
sincerely make this prayer ? 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


53 


“ The question of your letter I tremble to answer in the 
affirmative, and yet I should not dare to say no. We are both 
of temperaments to be oppressed by responsibility, and the situ¬ 
ation offered imposes great ones. Still we may not shrink 
from it, if it asks no more than we are equal to, or might be, 
setting aside irresolution and timidity. All we can get out of 
life is .usefulness. Believing this, who would not wish to be 
where he could do most good ? Let us commit our way to our 
Father in heaven, and we may be sure that He will direct our 
steps.” 

Notwithstanding the shrinking timidity for which Hen¬ 
rietta was distinguished, having once made up her mind, 
she did not waver in her purpose. At the time speci¬ 
fied, she started alone for the appointed place, where 
she and her friend opened the Catskill Female Acad¬ 
emy. 

Miss Jackson’s facility for communicating instruc¬ 
tion was unusual. But mathematics was her chosen 
department; so much so, that her friend was wont 
playfully to address her as “ Miss Mathematician.” 

She very soon won the entire affection and confidence 
of her pupils, as, indeed, with her gentleness and 
fidelity, she could hardly fail to do. 

In general society she had hut little time to mingle; 
and when she did so, her peculiar diffidence and 
reserve prevented those who saw her on such occa¬ 
sions only from becoming acquainted. The impression, 
however, that she left upon all was peculiarly pleasing. 
Every one spoke of her intellectual and lovely counte¬ 
nance, and of her gentle, unassuming demeanor. 

The following quotation from a letter to her brother 
during the summer, while it expresses her contentment, 
evinces, also, her strong attachment to the charmed 
circle of h m home: 


54 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ My dear, very dear, and dearest brother Samuel : 
You may smile, if you please, at my profusion of epithets; but 
I can assure you they are all in sincerity. I find I never 
knew how to value my friends before now, and I never knew 
the worth of a letter before. I thank you a thousand times for 
yours; is was an unmerited favor, and it made me weep for a 
whole day. I had just heard from mother that your cough had 
returned, and that your health was rather failing. Your kind¬ 
ness in remembering me made me think of my neglect to 
write you, when you were far away, sick and among strangers. 
Don’t set this down as evidencing a want of sisterly affection. 
I am so little in the way of writing letters that such a thing is 
no index of my heart. 

“ Catskill is a beautiful place. I look out upon its moun¬ 
tains, and think of my own dear home far away. I am con¬ 
tented and happy here, living quite secluded, and having little 
to do with anything beside my school. I am getting quite 
attached to a pedagogical life, yet not so much so but that 1 
can think of resting next winter with some pleasure. Our 
school is very pleasantly arranged. There are forty-two schol¬ 
ars ; some of them I love very much.” 


Notwithstanding the contentment Henrietta expresses, 
she often sighed for the country. “ Living,” she says, 
“ in such a city-like atmosphere is enough to chill com¬ 
mon folks into misanthropy. Give me a far-off country 
town, I say, more than ever.” 

For six months she and her friend were associated 
in the greatest intimacy,— an intimacy which only 
rendered their friendship stronger and more endearing. 
No unpleasant word ever marred their daily inter¬ 
course. 

Their chamber commanded a view of the far-famed 
Catskill Mountains, at whose feet rolled the noble 
Hudson. Often did they watch the fanciful clouds as 
they gracefully sailed above the evergreen summits, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


55 


and the beautiful shadows chasing each other along 
their verdant slopes. These mountains, with their 
continually-varying aspect, reminding Henrietta of her 
delightful home, were like the face of a familiar friend 
in a land of strangers. 

She seldom gave utterance to her religious emotions, 
yet she said enough to show that her devotional feel¬ 
ings added a sweet zest to her admiration of the 
beautiful. With her, as with Cowper, it was the 
peculiar charm of her enjoyment that in the contem¬ 
plation of the works of nature she could, with tearful 
reverence, lift up her eyes and say, 

“ My Father made them all.” 

Yivid in the recollection of her friend is her consist¬ 
ent character as a disciple of Christ. Her hour for 
the perusal of the Divine Oracles, and for meditation 
and prayer, was sacredly observed. These daily com- 
munings with Heaven were to her more than her meat 
and her drink, and they shed a lustre over her whole 
life. At times, when she came from these seasons of 
spiritual converse, her face was lighted up like that of 
Moses descending from the mount, and you felt that 
she, too, had been talking face to face with God. 

Her occasional prayers at the opening of the school 
manifested a profound acquaintance with the hidden 
evil of the heart, and the deepest humility and self- 
abasement. They were also characterized by the 
peculiar reverence with which she uttered the Holy 
Name, by her exalted views of God, and the unction 
which pervaded them. While her low, deep tones fell 
upon the ear, pleading fervently in behalf of all 
the dear scholars, for their forgiveness through redeem¬ 
ing love, and that the richest spiritual blessings might 


56 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


descend upon them, the room would be hushed into a 
reverent stillness. 

In the examination, at the close of the second 
quarter, Miss Jackson, though shrinking from its pub¬ 
licity, acquitted herself to the admiration of all present, 
while her classes reflected abundant credit upon their 
teacher, as well as on themselves. After her return 
home, her friend writes, 

“ Mr. S. says you ‘ did finely examination day; ’ that he 
‘ trembled for you when you rose, but soon found there was no 
necessity for it.’ ” 

In accordance with her plans at the commencement 
of this enterprise, the time had now come for Henrietta 
to leave the cares of teaching for her quiet retreat. 
Her pupils were full of sorrow upon the occasion, and 
brought her many little tokens of their affection. The 
parting between them was a sad one. Had they real¬ 
ized that they were never again to look upon the face 
of their beloved teacher, their grief would have been 
immoderate. 

As Henrietta and her friend sat together till a late 
hour that parting night, their conversation was of a 
sombre cast. They half feared the opening of the 
mystical book of fate, and they lingered at the point 
where their paths must now diverge. 

Early the next morning, long before there was the 
faintest glow upon the eastern horizon, the stage-coach 
paused at the door, and, * receiving its passenger, 
wheeled rapidly away, leaving a sad solitary one 
gazing out into the darkness of night. 

A separation between tried friends, be it for a longer 
or a shorter season, is always painful. As it looks 
forth into the shadowy future, the mind is oppressed 
with an undefinable dread. In this mood sat M., lis- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


57 


tening to the rattling of the wheels as it fell fainter and 
fainter on her ear. 


“Dorset, Nov. 29th, 1823. 

“My dear M.: You see, from the date above, where I am, 
and will, perhaps, expect to hear of perils both by sea and land. 
I have nothing of this sort to relate. Since that morning 1 
left you, shivering so that you could hardly hold my hand or 
get a farewell word from me, I have encountered nothing in the 
shape of a danger. The first part of the way I was under Mr. 
W.’s care, and of course you had nothing to fear for me. 
Afterwards I managed to take care of myself so well that by 
half-past eight I was safely in Troy, No. 29 River-street, with 
trunk, bandbox and all my effects. It soon appeared that I 
had taken a severe cold. This, together with the previous 
day’s siege, made me rather a dull visitor; so much so, that I 
had leave to take my bed for a good part of the day. 

“ I was, however, well enough to be seated in the stage by 
half-past five the next morning, and, as soon as it grew light, 
rejoiced to discover on the seat opposite a gentleman of my 
acquaintance, who would come the whole way through with 
me. I was glad to let him take care of my trunk and bandbox, 
at least. I reached home about nine in the evening, and found 
all ready and waiting to welcome me. 

“ So that long-dreaded journey is past, and I am once more 
at home, — my very dear home. So our dreaded, as well as 
our pleasant things, soon pass us by! This is verily true with 
respect to that Tuesday afternoon scene; for it has so passed 
from, as well as by me, that I can scarcely recall a vestige of 
it. It is like picking up a fragment here and there. 

“ I often think of you in your daily and weekly round. I 
sometimes see you wearing an anxious brow. Care sits 
heavily ! Then again I see you a joyous-hearted girl; — your 
heart now beats as if it never could be sad again. 

“ I love to think of you where you are. It is better even to 
feel oarselves wearing out with much labor than to have noth¬ 
ing to do. There is a satisfaction in the thought that we are 


58 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


doing something, that no amount of ease and indulgence can 
purchase. 

“Your gleeful friend H. makes these long winter evenings 
pass gayly. There must be a little spice of Greek and Latin, 
too. 1 think cf your lamp burning brightly at eleven, twelve, 
one, when I happen to be awake at those hours. 

“ How much have you mourned for my old brown Diction¬ 
ary ? I have not opened it yet. I shall think of you when I 
take it out of my trunk, — and afterwards, perhaps. I wonder 
how often you think of ?ne, and how many strange things you 
tell If. about me. I don’t like to think I am forgotten ; and yet 
I don’t know why it should not be so, since my place is so 
much more than supplied. 

“I frequently think of those dear girls, and many others in 
Catskill. You will have a great deal to tell me about. 

“ Your affectionate friend, 

“ Henrietta.” 

“To the very dear School : My thoughts are often 
with you. I love to think of you as a prosperous and happy 
school. I love to think of each class, and of each member of 
every class. And again my heart is pained, when I remember 
my own remissness and unfaithfulness as a teacher. If this 
may, perhaps, be forgiven me, I must still feel sorrow that I 
have done so little, either by example or precept, to lead 
you in the heavenward way. That your feet may be early 
planted in this way, and that each one of you may pursue it 
steadfastly unto the end of life, is the wish of 

“ Your affectionate teacher, 

“ Henrietta A. L. Jackson.” 

“To those of my dear scholars from whom I received a kind 
note I would say, I know not to what you refer when you ask 
to be forgiven if you have unintentionally wounded my feelings. 
1 do not now remember a single instance when you have done 
this, and I can assure you that not a shade of any other feeling 
than affectionate regard is treasured for any one of you by 

“ Your sincere friend.” 


MEMOIR? OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


59 


From K . friend’s reply a brief quotation is made : 

“ I was glad to receive your letter, for you are not forgotten 
by your old chum. O Henrietta, that last night! I could not 
go back to rest, for my heart was sair and very sair. I thought 
of our long-anticipated season as forever past, and I laid my 
head upon the table and wept. 

“ The next morning I talked about you in school, and we all 
mingled our tears together. 

“ When I told the scholars, a few days since, that I had 
received a letter from you, they would all talk together, 
although the governor (a little bell thus christened, and whose 
ring gave them permission to talk) moved not. But when I 
said, ‘If you will be still I will read a part of it,’you could have 
heard a pin fall.” 

Among Mrs. Hamlin’s choice papers, kept carefully 
until the day of her death, is a letter that was sent to 
her by her pupils a few weeks after she left the school. 
This time-worn memorial is made up of five different 
letters, all expressing the warmest affection and the 
most grateful remembrance. One says, “We do not 
forget the pleasure we had in hearing our dear teacher 
explain those difficult sums.” Another, “ You can 
scarcely imagine how much I miss you; and I wish a 
thousand times a day that you were here.” A third, 
“ I believe there is not one young lady in school but 
that wishes our dear teacher back.” Then, because 
there was no more room for distinct letters, there is a 
long column of names, at the bottom of which is writ¬ 
ten, “All join in love to Miss Jackson, our dear 
teacher.” 

It has, perhaps, been already gathered that there 
was at times a morbid tendency apparent in the develop¬ 
ment of Henrietta’s mind. Apart from the faithful 
portraiture expected of a biographer, it seems particu- 


60 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


larly desirable to present this aspect of her character 
in connection with her spiritual progress, and her final 
triumph over this melancholy view of life. 

Gifted with a mind of a high order, and possessed 
of the most exquisite sensibility, Henrietta Jackson 
could not be happy in the ordinary way. For her to 
fritter away the golden seed-time of life in compara¬ 
tively unimportant pursuits, was positive misery. A 
worthy object, which should fully occupy her mind and 
heart, was peculiarly necessary for one of her tempera¬ 
ment. It was for the want of some such definite pur¬ 
pose that life was at times a wearisome tale. In the 
absence of that occupation which should fully tax her 
vigorous powers, her mind preyed upon itself, as minds 
of that cast, under similar circumstances, inevitably do. 
In the music of her life was wanting some of its most 
powerful as well as sweetest chords. Thus there was 
at times a deep undertone of sadness, occasionally so 
sorrowful as to seem almost like the mournful wailings 
of grief. This view of her character, in connection 
with her subsequent history, is by no means an unim¬ 
portant one. And it is most interesting to trace her 
progress from this state of self-dissatisfaction and 
weariness with the world to that peace which after¬ 
wards became her blessed inheritance, and which is the 
unfailing result of trust in the Saviour, and well- 
directed, beneficent activity. 

There is a tendency in those of a certain tempera¬ 
ment to indulge in dreams which are worse than idle¬ 
ness. And this is sometimes the case with those of a 
high order of intellect, but of an imaginative, romantic 
turn. To such a mind all is beautiful but unreal, en¬ 
chanting but visionary. The dreamer in this ideal 
world meets with repeated and the keenest disappoint¬ 
ments. His soul is filled with yearnings which cannot 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


61 


be thus quieted. Its immortal thirstings will not be 
quenched at such imaginary streams. He will never 
be satisfied till he has found rest in a healthful, heaven- 
appointed activity. Let him learn to look upon life 
not as an end, but as a means ; not as a sufiicient good 
in itself, but as a school for the disciplining of his 
powers to act in a more exalted sphere. Let him 
regard this world as a battle-field, whereon he may not 
dare to dream life away, but where he must be roused 
for heroic action. On this battle-field must be wrestled 
for the victor’s glorious crown. Here are to be won 
immortal garlands. Thus viewing life, the soul will 
buckle on its armor, and nerve itself for the contest. 

Is there one, whose eye may trace these lines, that is 
suffering from the want of a high object of pursuit, or 
that is wasting the noble energies of the soul in the 
shadow-land of dreams ? Cease thine idle musings, 
thy pleasant and thy bitter fancies! Arouse thee from 
thy slumbers ere life’s day has closed, and the night 
of death wraps thee in its leaden sleep! 

Life is not an oriental tale, as we regard it in our 
youthful dreams. It is a stern reality,— the rugged 
seed-field of Time, from which the reapers shall gather 
in their harvest for Eternity. Imperative, then, to every 
one is the summons to labor,— constant, unwearied, 
well-directed labor. 

“ Labor is life ! ’Tis the still water faileth ; 

Idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth ; 

Keep the watch wound, for the dark rust assaileth ; 

Flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon.” 

6 


AN OBJECT IN LIFE NECESSARY. 


« Help, 3ome angel! stay this dreaming ! 

As the birds sang in the branches, 

Sing God’s patience through my soul! 

*« That, no dreamer, no neglecter 
Of the present’s work unsped, 

I may wake up and be doing, 

Life’s heroic ends pursuing, 

Though my past is dead as Hector, 

And though Hector is twice dead.” 

Mrs. E. B. Browning. 


The following letters, discovering something of the 
ardor of Henrietta’s friendships, and also giving a little 
insight into that part of her character which we have 
been contemplating, show that constant and inspiriting 
employment was more and more essential to her health 
of mind. 


“ Dorset, Feb. 20th, 1834. 

“My dear M.: I have been so in the glooms that I could 
hardly see, and this is the reason I have not written before. I 
have felt so little heart to anything that I could not do any¬ 
thing. But I remember the old woman with her rheumatism, 
and various other aches and ails, and so will stop short with 
my story. 

“ Your letter came just in time to be my New Year’s pres¬ 
ent, and was a very precious one, notwithstanding it made me 
shed a few tears. I had known and felt, ere then, that, next to 
my own dear brothers and sisters, no one in the world was so 
dear to me as M. When you pictured our room, in a moment 
l seemed to be there, and recollection did not soon hurry me 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


63 


back to my place in our little circle. Indeed, I often steal 
away even from my ‘ pleasant home,’ to be with you there. 
And when I sit down to enjoy my favorite hour, the coming 
on of evening, I almost always visit you. Sometimes that 
peculiar marble-covered book is produced for my entertainment; 
again I hear from memory’s treasure the choicest of the choice. 

“ * There’s beauty all around our path,’ and ‘ The electric 
chain,’ are reservec. for special occasions; and when I read them 
over every tone of your voice is recalled. Many a past scene 
is present by 

* Memory’s magical power, 

And flings back its light on this far-distant hour.’ 

“ I wish I had something worth while to tell you, but I am 
occupied with trifles, and you are conversant with important 
affairs. But, if I cannot tell you what I do, I will venture to 
tell some things I hear and think of; for I have been hearing 
of the valley of the Mississippi, and thinking of your going 
there. I have lately seen a missionary from Illinois, who has 
his whole soul enlisted. It seems strange to him that there 
can be so much indifference on the subject in New England. 
He wonders that the ladies are contented to stay where they 
can find so little to do, when there is so much work for them 
in the great West. I told him I knew of one who had had her 
heart set upon being a teacher in the valley, among the log 
houses, from her childhood up. 

“ When I think what an object is before you, I feel dissatisfied 
with my own course, and wish that I could give up everything 
else, in my desire to be useful. But I cannot trust myself 
enough even to encourage this wish. Can you tell me of any 
discipline that will make me such a person as you will dare to 
take with you when you go ? I have asked a hard question, I 
am well aware, and you shall be excused from answering it, 
but I do want tc go with you. 

“ And how do you think 1 felt when that other letter arrived ? 
It would not be easy to tell. I laughed and cried both together 
for half an hour. The feelings o: that last sad night were 
revived in their original freshness. 


64 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ And has H gone ? And is M. alone ? What will she 
do ? I am afra d she will do, do, do, till life is spent to its 
last spark. And yet I almost envy such activity. I should 
have offered my services as your humble assistant, if I had 
been at liberty to do so. But you are better provided for 
ere now, and my cares hold me fast, and will, until the 
health of our family is improved, for I am at present the only 
strong one among them. 

“ O, M., I want to see you more than I ever did before! 
How I would like to spend one of those precious sleepless 
nights with you now! And how I should like to live with 
you ! How can I stop ? Believe me a friend who will love 
you while she lives.” 

“ Dorset, Sept. 18th, 1834. 

“And why has not Henrietta written before? Not because 
she is like the rest of the world. . She was never accused of 
such a thing in all her life. And, my dear M.,you will believe 
there may have been another reason than this when I tell you 
that sister S. has left us for Bangor, and little Willie, too, 
has gone to that far-off country. Henrietta is left all alone . 
And how do you think I feel, and have felt? ‘ O, the soul’s 
deep strife ! ’ But why should I write about my feelings, when 
they are like everything else, — so transient? To-day strong 
emotion is my element; to-morrow, and I have almost forgot¬ 
ten I ever had a feeling. 

“But I have not quite forgotten my feelings during that 
third and last month, in which I was waiting for your letter. It 
was a long month,—a month of feverish restlessness, too. I 
conjectured a thousand things as to the reason you did not write, 
till I at last settled upon the conclusion that it was to punish 
me for having sent you such a letter. I could not complain of 
this as altogether unjust; but I did think it very severe, and 
was about to send my protest when your letter came. I 
thank you for the lenient manner in which you treated my 
abundant expressions of affection. You know it is not like me 
to be profuse in such expressions. 

“ I believe I am improved some of late, or I have at least 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


65 


learned to act more without feeling and against feeling; but it 
will be a hard lesson for me to get perfectly, I have always 
allowed myself to be so much governed by impulse. 

“ And so you are more of a recluse than ever. I don’t think 
it is pretty to be hermit so by the way-side. Better hie away to 
some cave of the mountain, where S. says she shall find me 
when she comes back. But my cell can hardly be called by 
the way-side now, in comparison with yours. There is an occa¬ 
sional intrusion upon its solitude. 

“ Then you are going home to spend the winter; —how dare 
you trust yourself? I find teaching less and less to my taste, 
the longer I rest from it; and nothing short of plain and irre¬ 
sistible conviction of duty could induce me to enlist again. I 
am glad to feel myself excused for the year to come. 

“ ‘ Saturday Evening ’ and ‘ Enthusiasm ’ are come to be my 
favorite books. ‘ Abercrombie ’ I read some. I read ‘ Galt’s 
Life of Byron ’ not long since, and it made me feel sad enough. 
Surely he was ‘ poor, unhappy Byron.’ 

“Write more about yourself, and write about the school. 

“ Tell little H., if she could come in now, she would see the 
side-board and mantel-piece all blooming out with her own 
flowers. Dear child ! I hope she is herself to be one of those 
beautiful flowers that shall bloom forever in the Paradise above. 
And I hope all those dear scholars are looking to and living for 
heaven, through a good hope in Christ. 

“ Remember my solitude, and write soon, — very soon , — 

“ To your friend, 

“ Henrietta. 

“ P. S. You are mistaken; there is no clay in the compo¬ 
sition of absent friends.” 

Notwithstanding the melancholy undertone breathing 
through these letters, she could at times write in a 
playful strain, as is evident from the following to her 
sister E. ; 

“ It is hardly three weeks since your letter was received, and 
I have sat down to answer it, — a wonder surely ! 

6 * 


66 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ And now, what shall I tell you of the various things that 
have happened for the last six, seven, or eight weeks ? We 
are doing much as usual at home. There has perhaps been 
some failure as to the spirit and energy with which things are 
done, — the natural consequence, you know, of our growing 
old. We are occasionally put in motion by a rap at the front¬ 
door, then left to subside again, or think for a while of such a 
wonder as a visitor at the old parsonage. 

“ If you were to look about us a little, you might suppose that 
all things had not remained as they were. From this window 
where I am sitting, you would notice that a good part of 
Margaret’s comely pear-tree is lying prostrate, —the work of a 
last week’s tempest. Were you to look a little north of west 
from this, you would exclaim, ‘ A new house going up! ’ Yes ! 
It is a domicile for G. and C.; and were you to go with me to 
the big yellow house at the corner, you might be surprised to 
see the household of Dr. S., Uncle John having gone to abide 
on the hill. * * 

* * “We would proceed to the C. house, to make a fare¬ 

well call upon M. before she starts for Illinois. At the M. 
house we should soon discover the Illinois fever, and fear lest 
it should take J. and his off to the valley before it had formed 
a crisis. In passing the store, if the door should be open, we 
should see A. sitting alone, and looking disconsolate as a 
widower, although at the same time his delight is up stairs. 

“ It really makes me feel sober to think how Dorset has 
changed. But its beautiful hills and mountains remain the 
same, and the sun is now shining on them as brightly as it 
ever shone. 

And what if the brilliant hopes of 
youth are blasted! Why should we weep over them, while 
there is still set before us the glorious hope of a blessed 
immortality ? 


* Perish every fond ambition. 

All I ’ve sought, or hoped, or known ; 
Yet how rich is my condition! 

God and heaven are still my own.’ 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


67 


“We may not repine without sinning against Him and our 
own souls. Let us rather ‘ commit our way unto the Lord,’ 
and with cheerful confidence rest upon the assurance that He 
will direct our steps. 

“ And has winter gone ? Is it spring again ? O, what is a 
winter ? What is a summer ? And what is life ? That we 
may be doing the work of life is the earnest prayer of your 
sister, Henrietta.” 

It will be seen that the state of mind which made 
vigorous and sustained effort necessary for Henrietta, 
also made her more and more disinclined to it. Nor, 
according to the laws of mind, could it well be other¬ 
wise. In this mood, the beautiful mountains which 
surrounded her home were no longer an inspiration to 
her. The deep solitude of her quiet valley became 
oppressive. Had she written more, though only as an 
outlet to her pent-up feelings, it would have saved her. 
in a degree, from this intense brooding. But this he’ 
peculiar reluctance to express herself on paper almost 
entirely prevented. Her innermost heart she opened P' 
but few. Indeed, her habits of reserve — habits which 
continued in some degree through life — precluded from 
her intimate acquaintance even most of those with 
whom she frequently met. To her few correspondents 
her letters came at long intervals, though, as is evi¬ 
dent, from no want of affection. Her friend M. had 
closed a letter by saying, 

“ Now, will you be a good girl, and write somewhere in tin 
course oifour months , as you always do; or will you think of 
my distance from home, and do better ? If you desire it, I may 
perhaps spend my spring vacation with you.” 

To this she replied: 


68 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“Dorset, Jan. 22d, 1835. 

“ Dear M.: It is ‘ somewhere in the course of four months,* 
but it is further along than it should be, and further than I 
could have thought it would be. You know about me. The 
first impulse was to write now; then I would only wait for a 
single day to pass, and have only been waiting for a little ever 
since. But this minute an appeal has come which is abso¬ 
lutely irresistible. It has moved me, in spite of all my inertia, 
to collect the scattered apparatus, and put my pen in motion. 
What a check upon one’s thoughts and feelings are all these 
preliminaries! And then to take the precise position, — make 
a pen and try it. 

“ Your letter was most joyfully received. A certain prom¬ 
ise it contained was better than all the rest. It made me more 
glad than anything I could have expected to happen. That 
‘ if you desire it ’ was only inserted for better sound’s sake. 
It could not have been a serious question in your mind. Since, 
however, it has some appearance of being so, I will answer 
accordingly. I do desire you to come and spend that vacation 
with me, and will call you a good girl for allowing me to 
expect it so long beforehand. Yes, M., do come. I can’t tell 
how the calm of this quiet vale will strike you; I am sure it 
will be very different from anything you have experienced in a 
long time. 

“ I am passing my life away in a succession of days and 
hours. I sometimes find myself saying, ‘ And is this life such 
a trifle, that it may be so wasted?’ 

“ The events of to-day interest me so little that they are for¬ 
gotten by to-morrow. My mind is employed about itself; my 
feelings, too, when I have any, are almost all about myself. 
I am growing more and more of a strange being, every day that 
I live. The discipline which I thought would make me more 
like others is operating in just the wrong way. I have lost 
all hope of retrieving my character with the good people here. 
They set me down for a mystery, long ago; so that anything 
I do like others is only the stranger still. Don’t smile at this 
long lament. There is more truth in it than you may sup- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


69 


pose. But I believe your visit will do me great good. It will 
be exhilarating to see your face again ; and then the long story I 
am to hear, and those good pieces, — they are too many things 
to mention at once. Their anticipation often comes over me 
so as to make my heart throb most joyfully. You will come, 
M., because you said you would ; and you would not break a 
promise and not mend it again, I mean. * =& # * # 

* * * “ The desire to make reparation is a strpng feel¬ 

ing, and what wonder if in such a struggle it should overcome 
every other ? But, then, what a sacrifice ! It is perhaps a 
greater one than woman should ever make; yet who can say 
she might not be the happier for having made it ? You see 
how philosophically I have considered the case, and how 
fairly I have come to the conclusion that you did not act un¬ 
wisely either way. My philosophy has been more puzzled 
upon some of your movements. They were indeed very mys¬ 
tical as they first came to me, scrap by scrap. Your letter 
makes all plain. I know how you felt as you went over that 
way to Dr. P.’s, and after the advice was given the feelings 
were not all glad ones ; and while preparations were making, 
shadows would steal over those bright anticipations ; and even 
after that precious haven was gained, a shade of regret min¬ 
gled itself with the happier feelings. So far I can follow you; 
my sympathies cannot well go further. It is a long time since 
I have been out into the broad world, and its scenes were 
never very familiar to me. And then, when Mr. B. came with 
his question,— I should not have answered as well. So you are 
again immersed in cares, and finding every day that they ore 
only life’s comforts. 

“Your invitation is not forgotten. I thank Mrs. B. for hei 
part of it. I would not spend so many long, sober evenings 
here alone, if your room was where I could find my way to it. 

“ I wish I had not waited so long; then I might dare to say, 
write soon. You know the rule is, ‘ As you vmdd ’ be, not as 
you have been done by. / 

“ When is your vacation ? Tell me just the day and the 
hour, so that I may be looking out to see you come over the 
hill. Good-by till then. Henrietta.” 


70 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


** Dorset, March 9th, 1835. 

“Dear M.: lam not, for once, the naughty girl you think 
me. If I could be so bad, I should indeed deserve a severe 
punishment, — almost as bad as that you were half-disposed to 
inflict. It was the middle of ‘ next week ’ before your letter 
reached me; and I am aow writing by the very first mail. So 
have I not done the best I could, and may I not claim the 
promised absolution ? It will really be quite an affair to get 
all that old score cancelled. 

“ ‘ But why should it take so long for a letter to reach Dor¬ 
set?’ I will tell you. The post-office folks, in their late 
retrenchments, have taken away all our mails but two in a 
week. All we can do is to bear it. The great people do as 
they please with such as me. * * * * * 

* * * “ Perhaps it would be best to tell J. what sort of 

a place he is coming to, lest he should be taken by surprise 
with its stillness. Tell him, when there is nothing else to do, 
he can find plenty of mountains to climb, or may occasionally 
have the pleasure of shooting a bear or a wolf that happens to 
come in his way. 

“ Please to bring anything you have that is good to read. 
It will come in requisition.” 

Once more, and, as it proved, for the last time, her 
friend was welcomed to the pleasant parsonage in the 
quiet valley. A gradual change was passing over 
them both. The bright coloring of romance, which had 
arrayed the future in enchantment, was fast fading into 
the sober hues of reality. They had begun to realize 
that life is a school, — a severe one to those who 
have not learned submission to its requisitions, and 
gained improvement from its teachings. From this 
necessary discipline Henrietta suffered keenly. But, 
although in her correspondence there sometimes escaped 
her words saVoring of recklessness, yet, even in her 
“ strange moods,” as she was wont to call them, she 
was too true-hearted a Christian not to struggle against 


i 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


71 


the gloom which overshadowed her path. Although 
suffering for want of the invigorating influence of active 
employment, at times she manifested a sweet cheerful¬ 
ness, or a glad exuberance of spirits, soon, however, 
chastened by her touching melancholy. Hers was “ a 
tearful grace,” as though she stood “ between the 
rainbow and the sun.” 

As her friend returned over those hills, her heart 
lingered with the dear one behind, so pure in her aspir¬ 
ations, so gifted for usefulness, so strictly conscientious, 
so sincerely religious, yet so saddened by her views of 
self, and the want of some ennobling object of pursuit. 
For a spirit so burdened, there is light, there is healing, 
only with Him who can be “ touched with the feeling 
of our infirmities.” 

“ Thou who didst sit on Jacob’s well 
The weary hour of noon, 

The languid pulses thou canst tell, 

The nerveless spirit tune. 

Thou, from whose cross in anguish burst 
The cry that owned thy dying thirst, 

To thee we turn, our last and first, 

Our Sun and soothing Moon.” 


I 


VISITS. —A WINTER OF DISCIPLINE. 

“ Lie not down wearied ’neath woe’s weeping willow ; 

Work, and pure slumbers shall wait on thy pillow ; 

Work — thou shaltride over care’s coming billow.” 

Mrs. Frances S. Osgood. 

From the subjoined letter, we see that, although 
Henrietta’s mind had not recovered its tone, yet she 
shows a consciousness of the nature of her disease, and 
of the needed remedy. The letter is addressed to her 
sister E., then expecting to go on a mission to Africa, 
but afterwards prevented by ill health. 

“ Dorset, May 9th, 1835. 

“ Do you remember twenty-four years ago, to-day ? (Her 
birth-day.) How those years have changed me ! And what 
are our years, when we look back upon them ? What have 
mine been, but a succession of days and hours, filled up with 
trifles scarcely worth remembering ? 

4 0 ! count by virtues ; these shall last 
When this short, weary race is o’er ; 

And these, when all life’s scenes are past. 

May cheer us on a brighter shore.’ 

“ How few virtues could I count! How few temptations 
have been resisted! How little of self-denial have I prac¬ 
tised ! How little of real happiness have I ever found ! So 
little, that I would not retrace the way, if it must be by 
the same steps. I have indeed known many pleasures, 
but they were pleasures for which I can feel no sympathy 
now; the results of an illusion that has vanished away. And 
shall I keep on wasting life, till its energies are all spent upon 
solicitudes unworthy an immortal spirit ? I don’t like to think 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


73 


so, and yet I fear it. The spell has been broken only from the 
past. It still holds its power over the future, ready to gild 
any of its pleasures, and magnify them into objects worthy of 
pursuit. It is only when they are reached or past that I shall 
see them as they are. I am making too little of my life ; I 
know it and feel it too sometimes. How could you be making 
more of yours than to be a missionary to Africa ? It seems so 
as if a missionary might get away beyond all ambitious motives, 
and labor purely for the sake of doing good, that I should 
almost like to go myself. And yet I know that a proud heart 
and an indolent nature may be carried to Africa as well as 
elsewhere. I feel but little confidence in my own desires to go. 
I am afraid the romance of the thing would be most attractive 
to me. Love to Christ is, I know, the only safe motive. If 
you feel this leading you, there is nothing to fear. It will 
inspire you with all the strength you can need in any emer¬ 
gency. But, though I can say go, my feelings about it are not 
all glad ones. It is a great thing to leave one’s home for aye. 
It is a great thing, too, to have a part in the rewards of the 
missionary’s labors. I wish I could feel more as you write, 
and I should be doing more where I am, or anywhere. I feel 
no impulse to act, and so I do nothing, and say nothing, while 
others around me are feeling, doing and saying. 

“ I am not such an ingrate, sister E., that I can be insensible 
to a generosity that gives three letters for one. It is, to be sure, 
a generosity quite superior to anything I have ever practised ; 
still, placing the value I do upon letters, I can tell something 
how to appreciate it. 

“ My hydrangea is growing as fast as it can, with so little 
sunshine. Most of my flowers have perished of the last win¬ 
ter’s cold. The vine-rose is dead. Will you bring me 
another ? My flowers are about all the society I have. Tell 
brother my vanity has not suffered at all from his compliment 
about the letter. To say it was the best, was not saying much, 
after all.” 

Early in the spring of the following year, Henrietta 
7 


74 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


and her friend M. met in the place where their 
acquaintance was first formed. Here a few letters 
were exchanged. From the extracts given, it is evi¬ 
dent that Henrietta was still under the cloud. Besides, 
she suffered—as one of reserved manners, yet acute 
sensibilities, almost invariably suffers — from the feeling 
of being misunderstood. 

««Andover, West Parish, Tuesday morning. 

“ I don’t know that you will believe me, M., but I was going 
to write before your letter came. I wanted to tell you how 
the sight of your countenance has revived me. It was such an 
exhilarating stimulus as my poor, broken spirits' have not 
known these many months. I can almost think this dismal 
wintry world looks pleasant. 1 can almost believe now that it 
Jvill be warm and green again. 

“ The last has indeed been a sadly sober season to me. The 
chill has reached my heart. But it is beginning to thaw out, 
and I am anticipating the time when its pulses shall be as glad 
and free as ever. M. has come. I have seen her face, 
and shall see it again; and then all that talk. How can I 
wait so long? We will have weeks of talking and reading 
and enjoying. But, remember, I shall claim part here , where 
nobody comes to interrupt good times. You see I keep my 
old notions, notwithstanding the change of place. And so you 
think I have not mended my manners much? I tell you, M., 
it is a hopeless case. I don’t mean to try any more. Why 
not just as well pass for an iceberg, since you know you are 
not one ? Some people would think you must have penetrated 
to great depth, to have discovered warmth. There are more 
things in the soul than are dreamed of by everybody. Chills 
sometimes indicate fever, as well as freezing. But I can’t stop 
to philosophize this morning. * * ^ 

* * I don’t blame you for being vexed, — it is too bad. 

But, if you have fallen into the hands of this story-telling 
world, you need not expect any mercy. Of course I hd not 
believe it. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


75 


“I have seen‘Paul Felton.’ What an admirable picture 
for that kind of person! It is some time since I read the 
story, and my brain has recovered from its first feverishness, 
else I could not stop with saying so little. I discovered the 
secret of his attractions, and did not wonder as some people 
would.” 


“ Friday morning. 

“ Dear M.: I am wanting a letter so very much, that I 
have sat down to write for one. To you this will be no small 
indication of the earnestness of my desire. Your letters do me 
an abundance of good. If I could only have one every day, 1 
should be glad once a day at least. I have not made you that 
call, because I could not. I am coming next week ‘ to open 
the door and look in.’ 

“ I know you are troubled to think of next summer. 1 
should feel all your tremblings and shrinkings and a great 
many more ; and yet I wish the same prospect were before me. 
It is better to feel all these than that dissatisfaction that fol¬ 
lows idleness. This living for nothing makes a very tedious, 
as well as wasted, life. I could almost flee to such occupation 
as a resort — sometimes. 

“ I am going to Bangor, partly for the discipline, partly for 
the pleasure, and partly because you will come and spend that 
vacation with me. The time fixed for our journey is about 
four weeks hence. How pleasant if we could go together! 
But you would leave me half way, and then I should have to 
do as I could for the rest. 

“ This, you will understand, is not meant for a letter. It is 
only for the sake of getting one. 

“ I intend to have as much as one day and one night of the 
last week with you. But I shall have a great many letters in 
the mean time.” 

From Andover she went to Bangor, where she 
spent several weeks with her sister, Mrs. Maltby. 
There, as elsewhere, she made the impression upon 
those who saw her most casually “of a peculiar deli- 


76 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


cacy, refinement and modest reserve, and of a high tone 
of religious principle.” Such is the testimony of one 
who enjoyed a passing acquaintance with her during 
this visit. 

On her return to Vermont, she made another visit at 
her brother’s in Andover, from which place she wrote 
to her friend M., then teaching in an academy in 
Maine : 

“ Andover, August, 1836. 

“ Dear M.: I have just heard some delightful intelligence, 
and am writing upon the stimulus of it. I hear you are com¬ 
ing to Andover soon; and it is a great surprise, for your brother 
told me you would not come. I wonder if 1 shall see you for 
ten whole minutes, this time. 

“ You heard about the visit I was going to make at G. Now 
I am going to see you, and the loss will be made up to me. 
You will come and stay a whole week here ; and let it be the 
first week, too, else I shall certainly lose it. You will be off 
somewhere before I know it. Brother and sister will like very 
much to have you come. They spoke of it last winter, and 
hoped you would. Do make your arrangements to come 
in good season, so that there be no failure; for I am going back 
to Vermont pretty soon, and * don’t never, never expect to see 
you again,’ as little Susan says; though there is no knowing 
what to expect of you. You may be in any or every part of 
the world within a year to come. 

“ How glad you are to be so nearly out of school; only you 
have begun to think already, ‘ How soon vacation will 
be passed and I shall be coming back! ’ Who is there that 
can feel entirely happy for more than a few minutes at a time ? 
It is not I, or the like of me. I can always find enough to 
spoil the pleasantest things, either in the past or future. Yet 
I am getting to take things indifferently. I hardly mind dis¬ 
appointments now, I have become so accustomed to them. I 
did, however, feel some elated to get back where I can see 
such a large piece of the green world. It freshens up the 
spirits like nothing else. I dislike the city, and never could 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


77 


learn to like it. Pleasanter far to have our mountains for 
prison-walls; for we can breathe freely among them, and think 
and feel loftily. They have become so associated with the 
thoughts and feelings of my solitary hours, that I claim a 
higher sympathy from them than from aught else. And yet, 
with no other society, I soon grow restless among them. With 
books I should do, — such as I like. Have you read ‘The 
Student’? If not, you will be delighted with some chapters of 
the first volume. 

“ I wonder if you are just as you used to be. Your letters 
are very like yourself; and yet it seems to me you must 
be changed, because you have had so much to do with the 
world. Everybody says what a beautiful place you have. 
You ought to be happy, because you are doing something; — 1 
mean to be, one of these days. Don’t you think I should figure 
finely in your teachers’ meetings, where ‘ the brethren and sis¬ 
ters are expected to speak their minds freely ’ ? Your letter 
made me laugh some, notwithstanding it began so soberly. 

“It has occasioned you no surprise not to hear from me 
before. It is only doing as I always do and have done. I 
waited at first to decide about the visit; then, to have the time 
determined. And, as that depended upon others, I was kept 
in uncertainty till it was too late to write from Bangor. 

“ I am thinking how much I shall have to hear about when 
you come. I have not seen you since your visit to Niagara, 
and many other events of your history that have not yet come 
before the public. If life is as full of incident and emotion to 
you as it used to be, I shall have a long entertainment, — 
perhaps protract my vigils beyond the first night. I shall 
anticipate much till then. Good-night, from 

“ Henrietta.” 

This visit, to which they had both looked forward 
with so much pleasure, was prevented by the danger¬ 
ous sickness of a beloved sister of her friend. The 
following note shows the result of this sickness, with 
ths deep and delicate sympathy of Henrietta : 

7 * 

f 


78 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“Andover, Sept. 5th, 1836 

“ There are griefs, dear M., which ask only a silent sym¬ 
pathy. It seems almost like intrusion to impose words on such 
as yours. I cannot know how you feel. It must be beyond 
what I have the power to imagine. So sudden and unex¬ 
pected ! I said, ‘ It is not so ! It cannot be! * 

“ The lovely Sarah is now still more lovely as an angel in 
heaven. And who would call her back to such a life as this, 
when she has gone where is perfect peace ? 

“ I know you suffer much. That this great and bitter afflic¬ 
tion may prove a blessing to you, is the earnest wish and prayer 
of your friend.” 

Soon after Henrietta’s return home, a letter was sent 
to her sister at Bangor, which strikingly illustrates the 
characteristic difference in one respect between her and 
her good mother, who, to the last of her life, was fond 
of writing. The letter contains three close pages from 
the mother, while the daughter fills only the margins : 

“ Many thanks to you, sister M., for the letters. I was glad 
of them all, and should have liked as many more, if you had 
found time to write them. I am very glad to find myself at 
home again, if it is away off in a corner of the world. I am 
waiting for the sun to shine, so as to see how pleasant it 
looks. The mountain-tops I have not yet seen. They have 
been hid in mist for a whole week. I am afraid my patience 
could not last another week. 

“Willie is flying his arrows about my ears, and mother is 
hastening me, lest her letter be too late.” 

“ Willie,” of whom she speaks, was a favorite 
nephew, who lived with his grand-parents. She had 
so trained him in arithmetic, that, in a primary school, 
when he was but seven years old, the teacher would 
set him to hear a class of girls from fourteen to eighteen 
years of age. When his aunt was leaving home for 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


79 


the last time, she put her head out of the carriage and 
said, “ Willie, always remember how aunt Henrietta 
taught you arithmetic.” 

The winter succeeding her visit in Bangor, she was 
invited by her friend M. again to become associated 
with her in teaching. Her reply shows an evident 
progress in the struggle against her old enemy, and 
that her pressing sense of the need of employment made 
her rejoice in the prospect of labor : 


“ Dorset, March 7th, 1837. 

Dear M. : Your letter made me more glad than 1 have 
been for this winter. It was an unexpected pleasure too ; for 
it has seemed such a long, long time, that I had begun to 
wonder if M. would ever write again. 

“ The sight of your seal checked my joy. It reminded me of 
what you had passed through since I saw you. I have thought 
many times how you must have felt, and how cruel it must 
have seemed to you to be hurried away so soon to business. But 
it was no doubt better than if you had been left to the free 
indulgence of feeling. 

“ Sarah lived the pleasantest part of life, and left it before it 
had become a weariness. The world would have made her a 
favorite, and might have spoiled her. Yet no ! I do not think 
it could. She seemed to me the nearest to being perfectly 
amiable and lovely of any person I ever met. But she is 
gone where all is perfection, — and who would call her back ? 

* Happiest they 

Who, gathering early all that earth can give. 

Shake off this mortal coil and speed for heaven.* 

“ It is hard to spare our friends. It makes the earth look 
desert-like to miss only a few. But, if we have that hope 
which touches all things ‘ with hues of heaven,’ we need not 
be unhappy, even in such a world as this. Happiness! It is 
in the mind; I believe it more and more every day that I 
live. I have been trying to become sober-minded, to moderate 


80 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


my desires to be patient and humble. But the keeping of the 
heart is a #ork that requires great diligence, — so great that 
we might well give up in despair, if we could not ask help 
from above. 

“ How otten the world turns dark, and we see nothing but 
clouds and gloom! 0, these heart-sinkings! these heart-sink¬ 

ings ! They are such a dread to me, that 1 would purchase 
exemption at almost any price. I have improved in some 
respects. 1 do not encourage idle dreams, as I used to, — I do 
not indulge in such extravagant anticipations of the future. 
But I had better not say much about improvement, lest, when 
you come to see me, you should say, ‘ I wonder where it is.’ 

“ I am glad they let you choose your assistant, and that 
you were pleased to choose me. I should like to come, and 
sit with you, and walk with you, and read with you, and talk 
with you, and hear you repeat poetry, — which last is better than 
all the rest. In consideration of such privileges, I might well 
afford to take the trouble of being teacher. And, besides, I am 
so thoroughly tired of doing nothing, that I believe I should 
take labor patiently for a little while, at least. Yes, I will 
come. I think it will be for my good. I shall want you to 
help me in French, and a great many other things; but, over 
and above all, I want your help against those unconquerable 
foes that have always done me such injury. I know you will 
help me; and, if you do, some&ing can be done. You must 
tell Mr. B. that your assistant is a great deal better and more 
interesting than she appears, else he may never know it. I 
have thought about those * teachers’ meetings.’ 

“ Yes, we will go to Bangor in vacation, — it will be some¬ 
thing pleasant for us to think of. I mean to enjoy it, teaching 
and all. You will tell me when to come. 

“ Yours, as ever, 

“ Henrietta.” 

Her friends, however, on account of her delicate 
health, made objections to this plan, and she was led to 
hesitate. “ O, M.,” she says, “ how can I give it up,— 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


81 


my heart is so much set upon it! ” Still her prevail¬ 
ing determination was to go. 

“ Your letter is only this moment received, and in the ful¬ 
ness of my heart I sit down to answer it, to prove to you, in a 
very remarkable way , how thankful 1 am. I have learned more 
of my heart than I ever knew before. I thought, after so many 
years and so much experience, that I understood myself 
thoroughly. 

“ I have been taking such views of life as have made me 
very wretched. I have longed most earnestly for the freedom 
of the imprisoned spirit. But I feel better now. My state of 
mind is more natural. I have anticipated so much enjoyment 
and advantage in coming to G., that I cannot easily give it up. 
I do believe it will be vastly better than for me to stay here 
and think all summer.” 

She finally, however, yielded to the objections of her 
friends, and, though reluctantly, gave up her plan of 
teaching. 


QUESTION OF A MISSIONARY LIFE. 

/ 

“ What are we set on earth for 1 Say, to toil , — 

Nor seek to leave the tending of thy vines 
For all the heat of the day till it declines, 

And death’s mild curfew shall from work assoil.” 

Mrs. E. B. Browning. 


Though highly imaginative, Henrietta had the 
power of examining practical questions with great 
truthfulness and fidelity. Her strict conscientiousness 
has been frequently alluded to. Said she, on a certain 
occasion, to her friend M., “ I wish to do right. I really 
do, for I dread the punishment of doing wrong. I 
have suffered so much from that already, as to know 
that it can make me very wretched.” In a case of 
peculiar difficulty, she once remarked to a friend, of 
whom she asked advice, “ If I only knew what was 
right, it seems to me that I could adhere to it with the 
steadfastness of truth and the decision of a martyr.” 

She was by no means happy in living what she con¬ 
sidered “ a life of self-indulgence.” Passionate as was 
her love of the poetry of nature and the poetry of art, 
— bright as had been her girlhood’s dreams, and 
shrinking, as she did, with her peculiar diffidence and 
sensitiveness, from the weight of care and responsibil¬ 
ity — Y et > with all this, the still small voice in her 
heart was never silenced. It continued its low utter- 
ings, and she continued to listen. It was this internal 
conflict which made life at times such a weariness, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


83 


that she “ longed for the freedom of the imprisoned 
spirit.” 

At this time, a most important matter came up for 
her decision. During her visit at Bangor, Mr. Cyrus 
Hamlin, of the Theological Seminary, had formed her 
acquaintance. He had long consecrated himself to 
the missionary life, and was hoping to he sent as an 
explorer to penetrate the interior of Africa, or, in fail¬ 
ure of this, to labor in China. But he was unexpect¬ 
edly appointed to take charge of a seminary in Con¬ 
stantinople for the education of Armenian youth. 
Feeling himself, by this appointment, authorized to 
look for a companion, his former interest in Miss Jack- 
son led him to seek her as his associate in his import¬ 
ant work. This question, presenting to her mind, in a 
life of usefulness, the very object which she needed, 
but, at the same time, involving such momentous 
responsibilities, and, to her affectionate heart, such 
sacrifices of feeling, affected her deeply. Although, 
from her first acquaintance, she had cherished a high 
esteem for Mr. Hamlin, yet her sensitive conscience 
forbade a hasty decision. 

“ My dear Father and Mother : I enclose to you a 
letter from Mr. Hamlin, which, as my parents, you are 
entitled to see, and which I wish you to read, in order that 
you may give such counsel as I need to guide my decision of 
an important question. 

“ In its relation to the cause of missions, it has a magnitude 
which may well be oppressive to me, feeling, as I do, my want 
of that piety and devotedness to duty which are necessary to 
usefulness in any part of the world, but more especially in the 
privations, dangers and trials, of the missionary life. I have, 
for a few months past, more than ever before, felt my deficien¬ 
cies as a Christian. During the past winter I have reflected 
much upon my waste of life, and have desired — I hope with 


84 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


some sincerity and earnestness — to devote what shall remain 
of it more entirely to the service of Christ. I have more than 
ever desired that consecration, that elevation of Christian feel¬ 
ing- and principle, which shall raise me above the influence of 
selfish and worldly motives. 

“ If I know my own heart, I wish that the question may be 
rightly decided, so that the blessing of Heaven may rest on its 
decision. Please to give me your thoughts and feelings, that 
they may aid me in my reply to this letter. 

“ Your affectionate daughter, 

“ Henrietta.” 

“ Dear Henrietta : I am willing to lay my own sacrifice 
and self-denial — and it will not be small — out of the ques¬ 
tion you are called upon to decide. I have long felt prepared 
to say, ‘ If Christ has special work for my children, which 
they are able and disposed to do anywhere in this world, they 
shall go to that work with a father’s blessing.’ If you have 
a heart to seek not your own things, but the things of Christ, 
my only fears will respect your health. You must probably 
not lay your account for a long life anywhere, and especially 
in a region of fatal epidemics, and under the responsibilities of 
the station to which you are invited. But it is comparative 
usefulness, rather than length of days, which we are to con¬ 
sult. Seek to do most for God, and, in an impartial view of 
His providence, ask Him, with a child’s heart, how most can be 
done, and you will go right, and be blessed. I know not how 
to part with you, and have some fears that the weight of the 
enterprise may prematurely bear you down.' But I dare not, 
— nay, I wish not to control what you shall find to be the 
deliberate, prayerful convictions of duty. ‘ In all thy ways 
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path.’ 

“ Your affectionate 

“ Father.” 

Her mother’s counsels, given in conversation, were 
similar in spirit, and she was cheerfully commended to 
the guidance of Heaven, and to the decision of her own 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


85 


judgment and feelings. Are there not fathers and 
mothers who need to learn the lesson of sacrifice and 
self-denial taught by the simple faith of these aged 
parents ? 

To Henrietta the preceding winter had been a season 
of preparation. She knew not whither God was lead¬ 
ing her; but, with a deep consciousness that she had 
not made the most of life, she had dealt severely with 
herself. With the blessing of Heaven, she was thus 
brought into a state in which she was enabled calmly 
to decide a question so painfully agitating to one of her 
sensibilities. 

The following extracts from letters, written while 
the subject was still pending, allow us a glimpse of the 
workings of her mind in her decision : 

“ The missionary life furnishes, indeed, a subject for sober 
thought; and I would like to give it such consideration as I 
ought. I would hope, on such a subject, to make a right 
decision, whatever that decision may claim from me, even to 
the giving up of all for Christ. It has cost me a great effort 
and a long lime to arrive at this point, when it is only the state 
of heart in which the Christian should live every day of his 
life. I know there is very little enjoyment except that which 
is gained by the performance of duty ; and if I ought to leave 
my home and friends, and refuse to do it, I might expect to be 
more unhappy than any circumstances as a missionary could 
make me. My past life has not shown a great devotion to 
duty, as you would see were I to give you its history. More 
time has been spent in idle musings than in active efforts to 
do good. 

“ For the last winter, however, I have been reflecting more 
seriously than ever before upon my waste of life, and these 
reflections have led me to the resolution to make more of the 
years to come. I feel that 1 am now called to test the strength 
and sincerity of that resolution. 

8 


86 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ It is a great thing to leave home, friends and country, and 
return no more ; but, if it be done for Christ’s sake, the reward 
too will be great. And who would compare with such a 
reward any circumstances of worldly ease or comfort ? I know 
there is room here for much that is ideal, much that would 
not avail the missionary in the hour of actual trial. Yet there 
are resources unfailing. 

“ But these are only my better feelings. They are all too 
transient; and, instead of them, I often have heart-sinkings 
that make me very wretched. 

“ In the solitude of last winter I had much time to think of 
the past; and, in looking back upon life, I was surprised to find 
that so little happiness had been gained. The only things 
that afforded me any satisfaction were the few instances in 
which I had been governed by a supreme regard for duty. 
This led me to feel that the great secret of happiness consists 
in doing our duty, and I desired most earnestly such entire 
devotedness to it as should make me ready to sacrifice every 
other motive and feeling. It was this previous state of mind 
which prepared me to examine the question of missionary life 
with peculiar feelings. I desired such indifference to all per¬ 
sonal considerations as would leave me sure that I could act 
from love to Christ alone. This desire was granted. But 
then this readiness for duty would sometimes vanish, and leave 
me in a state of wretchedness I cannot describe.” 

Similar in spirit is the subjoined note, addressed to a 
brother-in-law : 

“ As an expression of brotherly interest, I value your letter 
highly. As the advice of a friend, upon a subject which at 
present interests me more than any other, it was most grate¬ 
fully received. I have indeed been agitated and oppressed, — 
sometimes almost beyond my powers of endurance. It seems 
to me I have experienced every variety and shade of feeling 
possible in connection with thie question, so that there are no 
new depths to be explored. I am now suffering the exhaus- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


87 


tion and lassitude consequent on weeks of such intense excite¬ 
ment. I hardly know what I think or feel, — yet I do believe 
I could cheerfully devote my life to the cause of missions, with 
all its toils and privations, if it should appear that 1 am called 
to do it.” 

With characteristic firmness, when Henrietta’s de¬ 
cision was once made, there was no faltering or faint¬ 
ness. Here was one of the striking excellences of her 
character. Having candidly looked at any subject, 
and intelligently made up her mind with regard to it, 
the matter was henceforth and forever settled. So in the 
present instance. After she had earnestly and prayer¬ 
fully determined the question of duty, she never for one 
moment hesitated or wavered. Loving her friends with 
unbounded enthusiasm, and clinging to her mountain- 
home with peculiar fondness, — having had it in her 
heart to live and die there, — yet, the conflict of giving 
them up once over, it never had to be renewed. The 
noble cause to which she had devoted herself was, from 
this time, an invigorating presence and reality. Her 
fairy pictures of life were over, — her youthful dreams 
ended. But they had not gone out in darkness. 
Life now lay spread out in graver yet truer col¬ 
ors, — a field for action,— for noble, heroic action. 
Her acute but morbid sensibilities, being now turned 
into their legitimate channels, became not only health¬ 
ful, but beneficent, in their influence. Her disquieted 
and restless and doubting, and often wearied and 
sorrowful and weeping spirit, had now found its motive- 
power and its object — its centre and its rest. She 
might still have toils and struggles, but she would have 
victories too. At this period, we may imagine that the 
following inspiriting language of another breathes her 
convictions and her resolves : 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ I have done at length with dreaming,— henceforth, 0 thou soul 
of mine, 

Thou must take up sword and gauntlet, waging warfare most divine. 

“ Life is struggle, combat, victory ! wherefore have I slumbered on, 
With my forces all unmarshalled, with my weapons all undrawn 1 

“ 0, how many a glorious record had the angels of me kept, 

Had I done, instead of doubted,— had I warred, instead of wept! 

“ Yet, my soul, look not behind thee ! Thou hast work to do at last; 
Let the brave toil of the present over-arch the crumbled past. 

“ Build thy great acts high and higher, — build them on the con¬ 
quered sod, 

Where thy weakness first fell bleeding, and thy first prayer rose to 
God! ” 

That Henrietta felt that the true state of her mind 
was not entirely understood by some of her friends, 
appears by the following extracts from letters to Mr. 
Hamlin: 

“Mr. B. brought me this morning, from his walk, a splendid 
bouquet. It was made up of beautiful and fragrant flowers, 
with a large sprig of wormwood. ‘ The wormwood was put 
in,’ he said, ‘ to make it resemble human life.’ He believes me 
more inclined to enjoy the flowers than to think of the worm¬ 
wood. He always selects for me the rose that has the most 
thorns, because he supposes me in danger of forgetting that 
roses have thorns. So am I often understood.” 

“ My brother fears I shall make too bright a picture of the 
future. In his last letter he says : ‘ Dear sister, do count 
the cost. Look at the sober realities in the matter. Imagine 
how much will be painful, and lonely, and wearisome, and 
unromantic! ’ I am not surprised that he should exhort me to 
consider well. He thinks me a strange, romantic being, who 
have lived all my life in dreams and visions, and never had 
ten thoughts about things as they really are. I have concealed 
from him and others the existence of gloomy feelings. I have 
made a great show of carelessness and happiness, when I felt 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


89 


them not. My mother has sometimes checked me for an over¬ 
flow of spirits, when I was very wretched. It is not true of me 
that I never look at sober realities. I know there must be, in 
any situation, something to endure , as well as enjoy. That per¬ 
son would oe wholly unfit for life who should claim entire 
exemption from all its weariness and toil.” 

It is not to be wondered at that some of her friends, 
viewing her character in a certain phase, should have 
felt that she looked at her new undertaking through the 
medium of romance, and that she was hardly prepared 
to wrestle with its stern realities. It is not strange that 
her very cheerfulness in contemplating the future 
should have been supposed to be occasioned by false 
and ideal views of life. She had concealed her inward 
struggles, her restlessness and self-dissatisfaction. Or, 
if some tokens of the agitations of the deep waters were 
at times visible upon their usually placid surface, their 
hidden source was not always traced. The disturb¬ 
ances were not occasioned by that sickly sentimental¬ 
ism which in a weak mind causes disgust with every¬ 
thing that does not correspond with its own unhealthy 
tastes. They were the workings of a truthful and lofty 
soul, earnestly wrestling, through doubt and darkness, 
for the pure, celestial light, which shines upon the path 
of duty,— for that sweet repose which attends upon the 
consciousness of having done the will of our great 
Father above. They were the struggles of a child 
under the disciplining hand of wisdom and love, draw¬ 
ing it from the waywardness and misery of self-seeking, 
to the blessedness of self-consecration. 

In the spirit of her recent decision, Henrietta was now 
gathering a precious balm, and experiencing its healing 
power. 

But, before entering more fully into the delightful 
results of this decision, it may be interesting to learn 
8 * 


90 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


from herself some of her views and feelings in relation 
to various subjects. 

Her love for poetry has been often alluded to. There 
was no affectation, no sentimentalism, in this passion. 
It was the genuine product of a refined and highly-cul¬ 
tivated mind,— the instinctive appreciation of whatever 
is beautiful and ennobling, purified by an elevated 
piety. It did not, as we have seen, clash with the cul¬ 
tivation of her reasoning powers, or with the sterner 
elements of character. A few selections from her cor¬ 
respondence with her future companion give us some 
of her thoughts on this and other subjects. 

“ How very painful to think that Byron’s noble powers 
should have been debased by intemperance, malice and misan¬ 
thropy ! It destroys half our enjoyment of what is really beau¬ 
tiful and good. I would never wish to read anything written 
under the influence of his baser nature. 

“ Yet much as 1 dislike his reputation, most of his poetry, 
which 1 have read, has a charm for me, and a power over me, 
that 1 can hardly find anywhere else. No one, nursed as I 
have been in mountain scenery, can read Childe Harold with¬ 
out emotion. Though the Green Mountains are not the Alps, 
yet Byron might have written the same among them. 

* The sky is changed — and such a change ! 0 night, 

And storm, and darkness, ye are wondrous strong. 

Yet lovely in your strength, as is the light 
Of a dark eye in woman ! Far along, 

From peak to peak, the rattling crags among. 

Leaps the live thunder ! Not from one lone cloud. 

But every mountain now hath found a tongue. 

And Jura answers through her misty shroud 
Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud ! 

* And this is in the night. Most glorious night! 

Thou wert not sent for slumber; let me be 
A sharer in thy fierce and far delight, 

A portion of the tempest and of thee. 

Sky, mountains, river, winds, like lightnings ! ye. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


91 


With night, and cloud, and thunder, and a soul 
To make these felt and feeling, wqII may be 
Things that have made me watchful; the far roll 
Of your departing voices is the knoll 
Of what in me is sleepless, if I rest.’ ” 

No wonder, living where she did, that such poetry 
came to her with a thrilling power. Should her child¬ 
ren ever visit their mother’s birthplace, they will 
appreciate the beauty of these passages, and her intense 
love for her mountain-home, as they cannot otherwise do. 

“ 1 am again experiencing the thrilling delight of returning 
home. And the mountains, with their varying lights and 
shades, are the same as when I left them. I have come again 
and sat down by the window looking out towards that beautiful 
blue mountain, and that tall elm, so graceful and majestic, 
remaining often with magic distinctness against the evening 
sky, when the hills and valleys have all melted into one. 

“ Yesterday afternoon a storm of surpassing grandeur passed 
over us. I wish I could describe the sunset after it. I went 
out and stood an hour to gaze and admire. 

“ I was delighted with the two reviews. That of Burns 
contains much interesting philosophy of the heart and mind, 
many new and striking thoughts, and some passages of great 
beauty. But 1 was particularly delighted with the review of 
Milton. It is exceedingly interesting and beautiful. I would 
mention particularly the comparison with Dante and the 
description of the Puritan. How perfect his descriptions! His 
allusions are very pleasing, and his style smooth and flowing. 

“ There was some philosophy not very complimentary to the 
lovers of poetry. It seems that a certain unsoundness of mind 
is necessary to the enjoyment of poetry, and that it * effects its 
purpose most completely in a dark age.’ 

“Wordsworth we can love as well as admire, and there is 
nothing to rebuke our love. I am glad he is your favorite 
poet. Such reading seems to bring me to life again. 

“ What an indescribable and almost mysterious beauty there 
is in the following passage: 


92 


ME7.I0IRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


* I have seen 

A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract 
Of inland ground, applying to his ear 
The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell, 

To which, in silence hushed, his very soul 
Listened intensely; and his countenance soon 
Brightened with joy. For murmurings from within 
Were heard, — sonorous cadences, whereby 
To his belief the monitor expressed 
Mysterious union with its native sea. 

Even such a shell the universe itself 
Is to the ear of faith ; and there are times, 

I doubt not, when to you it doth impart 
Authentic tidings of invisible things. 

Of ebb and flow, and ever-during power. 

And central peace subsisting at the heart 
Of endless agitations .’ ” 


HAPPY INFLUENCE OF MISSIONARY 
CONSECRATION. 


“ From darkness here, and dreariness. 

We ask not full repose; 

Only be Thou at hand, to bless 
Our trial-hour of woes. 

Is not the pilgrim’s toil o’erpaid 
By the clear rill and palmy shade 1 
And see we not, up earth’s dark glade. 

The gate of heaven unclose 1 ” Keble. 

The following extracts from letters written to her 
friend M., during the year before Henrietta left the 
country, evince an increasingly healthy tone, and a 
decided progress in Christian experience, while some of 
them breathe a chastened, subdued spirit, and a grow¬ 
ing conviction that no mere circumstances can confer 
happiness. 


“Dorset, July 25th, 1837. 

“My dear M.: Your letter has just arrived, after its three 
weeks’ wanderings to — 1 cannot tell whither. But 1 have my 
suspicions that it has visited the capital, since it came with a 
broken seal as evidence that it had fallen into the hands of 
those who have power in the land. It is very complimentary 
that they should have concluded to forward it, since you know 
it is only letters of importance that they honor in that way. 1 
am truly thankful for their kindness and consideration in the 
case. 

“ The well-known superscription was greeted with all the 
gladness of former days. It seemed so long a time since I had 


94 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


heard from you, that I could not help opening and reading 
your letter first . Do you not think this was a pardonable 
offence, just for once, and considering the circumstances ? I 
know you will forgive me, and I shall not take the trouble to 
beg pardon elsewhere. 

“ My long silence must have seemed strange to you. I have 
been intending to surprise you with my actual presence. 
Almost every week 1 have said, ‘Next week 1 shall go to A. 
and see M.’ Now the probability of my doing such a thing 
has nearly vanished; yet 1 must come. How 1 have longed 
for one of those talks! It Would have been better to me than 
anything 1 can think of. 

“ 1 cannot tell you certainly when 1 am to leave the country, 
— perhaps in November, perhaps not till spring. You have 
no doubt imagined some of the truth about my feelings, — but 
I think their bitterness is past, and 1 shall never again feel the 
parting scene as I have felt it. 1 am happy that my life is so 
devoted. I would rather be a missionary than anything else, 
even though there may be many roughnesses in the path before 
me. What is our ease ? What are ail our pleasant things ? 
What do they yield us, to be compared with those sterner 
pleasures to be gained from a life of self-denying usefulness ? 
It is the severer discipline that is best adapted to prepare us for 
our rest in heaven. We shall soon reach that land, if our 
earthly journeyings be thitherward. And what though our 
paths diverge, if they meet there ? O, if you were only going 
too! ” 


“ Andover, Nov. 1837. 

“ My dear M: My brother says he will take a note to the 
office, if 1 will write it in one minute. 1 am glad you will 
come and see me. It is so very pleasant that I have a great 
mind to come over and walk back with you. If I were sure 
we could have it all to ourselves, I would not hesitate a 
moment. often wonder that I am 

not better and happier, with such an object before me. But, if 
happiness be not in the soul, there is no combination of circum¬ 
stances can give it. There are aspirations that raise me 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


95 


towards heaven, and I am happy till the attractions of earth 
again disturb my peace. This must be the experience of every 
one who is not entirely purified from earthliness. I think my 
mind has more power over gloomy impressions than it once 
had; hut I have little to boast of.” 


“ Dorset, Dec. 19th, 1837. 

“My dear M.: My thoughts have not all been sent off to 
the north country, though 1 doubt not you have in your heart 
often accused me of such exclusive meditations. It seems 
almost as if I had not seen you, those visits were so unsatisfy¬ 
ing. An evening now would be better than all of them. Since 
I am rested from the fatigues of business, and have recovered 
from the first shock of winter, I feel much more like myself. 

“ I am very happy in this quiet, far-off retreat, where I 
always love to be. But disquietudes can reach me even here, 
and unwelcome presentiments sometimes come to darken the 
soul with their gloom. The weeks are flying so hastily that 
it makes me think how soon winter will be gone. And, when 
I remember that this may be my last season among these 
mountains that I love so well, it is a strange feeling. You 
cannot know about it, for yours is not a mountain-home, and 
you are not leaving it for aye. 

“ This life is so brief and dream-like that the heart may not 
find its resting-place here. We must not forget that higher 
repose which alone can enable us to anticipate with calmness 
the vicissitudes of life and its closing hour. The unclouded 
brightness of heaven can give uninterrupted delight. 

“I often think how much you are enjoying your course of 
reading, with such pleasing accompaniments. And here I sit 
down alone to Butler, that abstract, metaphysical book, without 
anything to enliven. I like the Analogy very much, it brings 
so beautiful a harmony out of everything. 

“ I have been having a good supply of letters, which you 
know make the delight of life to me. And I have almost 
done with the use of Trojan paper, which you will be pleased 
to learn. 

“ My brother sent me a letter last week, which has disquieted 


96 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


me not a little. It seems he has taken my miniature from the 
artist’s, and is showing it to whomever he pleases. He says he 
shall send it to you. Now, if it should come into your hands, 
please to lock it up in your writing-desk, and keep it there 
until I call for it. It is, perhaps, foolish to be disturbed by 
such a little thing, but I was very much so when I heard of my 
picture in circulation.” 

“ Dorset, May 10th, 1838. 

******* “If you are 
changing, I am changed. The world seems colder and less 
beautiful than it once was. My spirit would then fly away 
unchecked to the clouds, and almost feel itself among them. I 
miss the ardent hopes and delirious joy which my heart lived 
on then; but I will not wish them back, for they were false 
hopes, and it was ignorant joy. 

“ Even to love and be beloved is not enough. Our friends 
may be taken from us; and, the more precious our earthly 
connections, the more do we dread separation. There must be 
a better home for the resting-place of the soul. 

“ A friend of mine will be in A. the twentieth of this month, 
on his way to Dorset. He hopes to become acquainted with 
M. in one day. I have told him it is in vain to think of such 
a thing.” 

The affections of a sensitive heart are too sacred to 
be carelessly paraded before the public eye. But, for 
the sake of those dear children to whom these memori¬ 
als are dedicated, we would reverently lift the veil from 
the heart of their sainted mother, and give a glimpse of 
that delicate and elevated affection, which only grew 
purer and brighter till she was called into the spirit- 
land. We shall also see that she viewed life more and 
more as a moral discipline, and that she had a cheerful 
trust in God in looking forward to trials and privations. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


97 


“ That is indeed a beautiful psalm you referred to — (the 
103d Psalm). I read it with newly-awakened interest and 
delight. How could it ever be read without feelings that 
would make us better and happier all our lives? What a 
treasure we have in the Bible! It calms our fears, excites 
hope, and contains a solace for every sorrow. In such a beau¬ 
tiful world, with such a book as the Bible, how can there be so 
much darkness and wretchedness ? 

“I should be ungrateful, indeed, if my affection for you 
should not lead me to love more Him from whom we receive 
all our friends ; a heavenly Father, who gives us every good, 
and who if He should take all away, would leave in Himself a 
portion sufficient for the soul’s happiness. I often enjoy states 
of mind and feelings that I believe have been procured to me 
through your prayers. It awakens deep and heartfelt gratitude 
to God, that you are a friend who will care for and watch over 
my spiritual interests, as the most important of all. I have the 
confident assurance that your love for me will increase my 
happiness both here and in heaven. 

“ My heart responds most earnestly to the prayer that this 
year may be one of spiritual growth , and high moral discipline , 
— a preparation-day for future life. Yet I would be spared all 
that may be painful in this discipline, so great is my weakness 
at the thought of suffering, even though the result may be hap¬ 
piness. I do not wish to feel so, and, with a more confiding 
faith, I should not. 

“ I sometimes have feelings of apprehension in relation to 
the future, but I can now more readily overcome them, — not 
of myself, but by going directly to Him whose strength is suffi¬ 
cient for all my weakness. Wednesday evenings I have 
enjoyed very much. I always anticipate them with much 
pleasure, and I love to seek, both for you and for myself, all 
that spiritual preparation which we need.” 

Wednesday evening was sacred to Henrietta and her 
friend, as the season in which they met at the throne 
of grace, where it was a special subject of prayer that 
9 


98 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


they might be fitted for their contemplated missionary 
labors. Though the observance of this season was 
never mentioned to any one, yet after they left the 
country, by a happy coincidence, the same evening was 
agreed upon, by her circle of friends at home, as a 
family concert of prayer for one another, and for their 
descendants to the latest generation. 

“ There is a place where spirits blend, 

Where friend holds fellowship with friend; 

Though sundered far, by faith they meet 
Around a blood-bought Mercy-seat.” 

“ Wednesday evening is again throwing its shades over our 
mountains, and our thoughts and feelings are to ascend and 
meet before Him who ever guides aright those who commit 
their way unto Him. We can trust Him for our happiness, 
and for strength in all our trials. It does not $eem to me that 
I shall ever be weary of a missionary life because of its hard¬ 
ships and privations. May all our sacrifices be made from a 
desire to please God and do good to men, and then they will 
increase our happiness a hundred-fold! 

“ There is another passage for which I have often been 
grateful. ‘We have not an High Priest who cannot be 
touched with the feeling of our infirmities.’ How could we do 
without such a verse in the Bible ? 

“ Last evening was very pleasant to me. I felt an increased 
earnestness in asking for more love to God — for more entire 
devotedness to his service. I am glad that the solicitations to 
remain in this country produce in you no inclination to do so. 
May we not hope that the churches will soon awake to the 
duty of furnishing the funds to send forth those who are wait¬ 
ing with such earnest desires to go ? 

“ I wish to have my own feelings more vividly affected by 
thoughts of the heathen world. It is true the remedy for its 
sin and misery is abundant; but how slow the labor of applying 
it ! And the church is almost sleeping over this great work, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


99 


which is enough for its most wakeful energies. Faith in God 
alone can sustain those who are to bear the burden and heat of 
the day. 

“Another majestic storm, and now a gleam of sunshine 
breaking through. How gladdening! But it needs a happy 
heart to make even the sunshine pleasant. 

* Thou hast in earth, in air, in sky, 

A means of bliss that will not fly; 

A means at once serene and pure. 

And drawn from nature, ever sure.’ 

“ A change has come over me. I seem not the same Hen¬ 
rietta I once was. Life is unfolded to me so earnest, so seri¬ 
ous, so full of dangers and yet of hope and of happiness, that I 
hardly know whether I am happier or sadder than ever before. 
I wonder that I can ever be light-hearted for a moment, with 
the great responsibilities of missionary life in view. I feel that 
it should elevate all my thoughts and affections, so as to leave 
nothing earthly to control my heart. 

“ I have been reading about the early Moravian missiona¬ 
ries. How admirable were their faith, and hope, and patient 
zeal! How much they endured in their first missions to 
Greenland and America! It makes it seem a little thing for 
us to go to Constantinople. I am glad that we are going , is 
almost my only feeling about it now. I am not thinking so 
much how I am to leave my dear home and friends. When I 
realize that I have indeed said a last farewell to them, I know 
that my heart will feel as never before. But I shall be happy, 
— still happy in them, happy in you, and happy in the work 
given to you by a Master whom we both love and wish to 
serve. I do not feel anxious about the circumstances of my 
future life. I think it will be a happy one. I shall have trials; 
a life entirely free from them would not be good for me. Trials 
patiently and cheerfully endured and overcome, are some of our 
best discipline on earth. 

“ I do not like the idea of responsibility to the public. I 
shrink from it. Woman’s sphere is in the family. Publicity, 



100 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


distinction, she instinctively avoids. My future duties seem 
to be assigned me by a kind Providence. The care of such a 
household as the seminary will involve will demand all my 
time, and I shall have as little occasion as fitness for other 
labors. But 1 shall enjoy all the good that you will do; and, 
if I can do anything to lighten your labors or cheer your heart, 
it will constitute both my happiness and duty.” 

“ I have loved my home with such a love, that it has seemed 
to me I could never endure the idea of being separated from it 
to return no more. But it is not in any outward circumstances 
of life to make us really happy. I like that chapter of Butler 
on moral discipline. It shows us the design and the need of 
trials and temptations. 

“ The destination before us is one that should raise and enno¬ 
ble every thought and feeling. It often comes over me in the 
midst of trifling conversation, to administer reproof, and make 
me resolve that I will never be trifling and inconsiderate again. 
I think I have sought and received guidance from One who 
guides unerringly. My mind rests with perfect peace in the 
decision I have made. I can now look at the future without 
fear or disquietude, — remembering that it is in no combination 
of circumstances to give happiness, without that keeping of the 
heart which requires great diligence. I anticipate a higher 
happiness from missionary life than I could expect from a quiet 
settlement in my native land. It is the severer discipline 
which yields us most. 

“ I feel that nothing, nothing but faith, can ever sustain 
and make me permanently cheerful and happy. There are 
moments when I am anxious for the future; but I can oftener 
cast all my cares upon One who careth for us, believing that 
He will give all needful preparation and strength for whatever 
is before me. No one who lives for the cause of Christ, and is 
faithful in it, can be unhappy.” 

Henrietta had now attained her true position. Strong 
in the might of her consecration to the noblest of causes, 



MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


101 


she could cheerfully look forward to the trials which, 
with distinctest vision, she saw in her onward path. 

This very consecration had brought her into closer 
and more endearing relations to her heavenly Father, 
and by it she was now entering the higher sphere of 
faith. If a Christian rests outside its hallowed circle, 
or is content in its lower walks, it is not strange that 
darkness should gather over his path, especially if he 
he a thoughtful man. 

Through the one great mystery of being, with the 
gigantic shadow of death deepening it into a problem 
painfully startling to the brooding mind, and through 
all those lesser mysteries flowing therefrom, the soul 
must look up confidingly and perpetually into the face 
of a reconciled Father, or it will be launched upon a 
sea of miserable doubts, and perplexed and rent with 
its own harrowing conflicts. Then is God’s omnipo¬ 
tence a fearful attribute, and God himself, to a heart so 
little believing, a consuming fire, drinking up the spirit. 
But let the soul behold God in Christ Jesus,—the glories 
of the divinity softly attempered by the sweetness of a 
perfect humanity,— let it, with the golden key of faith, 
unlock the mysteries of godliness, and from the seem¬ 
ingly confused and discordant elements is evolved a 
system of divinest harmony. Let the tired spirit lay 
itself in the arms of the infinite and unchanging Father, 
— let the created, through the Mediator, thus come into 
union with the great Creator,— and its endless eddies of 
restlessness will subside into the tranquil waters of per¬ 
fect peace. The soul has found its Centre, and it is 
henceforth at rest. Nothing can separate it from the 
love of Christ. All things shall work together for its 
good. 

To such a trusting spirit there is a providence in the 
minutest event. It may suffer wrong from the hand of 
9 * 


102 MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 

man, but its serenity cannot long be disturbed. Its 
refuge in God is unfailing, and its peace is like a river. 

Towards such a state, as we see from the foregoing 
extracts, was Henrietta now tending. 

“Though faith and hope may oft be tried, 

I ask not, need not, aught beside ; 

How safe , how calm, how satisfied, 

The soul that clings to thee ! ” 


THE MISSIONARY BRIDE. 


“ Lips that have lulled me with your strain. 

Eyes that have watched my sleep ! 

Will earth give love like yours again 1 ** 

Mrs. Hemans. 

We now approach that period which was to try the 
heart and test the faith of our friend. 

A refined and delicate woman, of the most shrinking 
sensitiveness and the most unbounded affections, is 
about to tear herself from the bosom of her family. 
She is to leave forever the cherished home of her child¬ 
hood ; she is to bid farewell to her trees and her flow¬ 
ers, and to gaze for the last time on those lofty moun¬ 
tains, hallowed by the sympathy which, in her 
changeful moods, she has received from them. She is 
for the last time to look into the loving eyes of that 
mother, who, all her life long, has watched over her 
with unwearied care; for the last time to be pressed 
to the heart of that father whom she regards with the 
most exalted reverence and affection; she is to pass 
through all this, that she may cross the wide sea, to 
endure privations and hardships, and, it may be, a 
thrice desolate widowhood, in a foreign land and among 
a strange people. It is no wonder that her friends 
looked forward to this scene with the most anxious 
solicitude, or that her destined companion should say, 
“ How will Henrietta endure the separations before 
her? I have sometimes wished her capabilities of 


104 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


intense emotion were less.” But she knew where to 
obtain strength for the hour of her trial. 

On the morning of September 3d,— the day ap¬ 
pointed for the marriage ceremony,— as the family 
assemble for their usual devotions, a chastened solem¬ 
nity pervades every countenance. The prayer of the aged 
father reveals the hidden depths of his struggling heart. 
T ie consecration of his youngest child to the missionary 
service; his earnest invocation to Heaven for needed 
si i ength in behalf of her and her companion in all times 
of trial and danger; that prayer, closing with the 
expression of the sweetest and most consolatory Chris¬ 
tian hope of a reunion in heaven, will live forever in 
the hearts of those who heard it. In the preparatory 
duties of the morning, ail were composed and almost 
cheerful, endeavoring to strengthen one another for the 
coming hour,— all but the young girl in the family, 
whose faithful and affectionate services were recalled 
years after, when from a distant land were sent to her 
dying tokens of a continued kind remembrance. Poor 
Jane alone gave herself up to uncontrollable weeping. 

At length a few invited friends from the parish were 
assembled. Before Henrietta entered the room, a bridal 
ring was placed upon her finger, upon which was 
engraved the reference,—“ Luke 18 : 29. 30.” “ Yerily 
I say unto you, there is no one who hath left house, or 
parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the king¬ 
dom of God, who shall not receive manifold more in 
this present time, and in the world to come life ever¬ 
lasting.” 

Her venerated father officiated at the altar, perform¬ 
ing the marriage service with that dignity, yet tender¬ 
ness, for which he was distinguished. Many a tear 
was shed by others, but the bride maintained a serene 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


105 


composure, though her pale countenance betrayed sup¬ 
pressed emotion. 

Deacon Kent —a good man, and full of years — was 
present; and when he found an opportunity to speak, 
he gave vent to his overflowing heart. He said it was 
the happiest day of his life; that, though he loved Hen¬ 
rietta as a daughter, he was glad she was going to live 
and die on missionary ground. He congratulated the 
parents on giving such a daughter to such a cause; and 
pledged himself, so long as he remained in the body, to 
pray for the departing missionaries every day of his 
life. Then, bestowing his benediction, he departed, 
“full of faith and of the Holy Ghost.” Nine years 
after, he sent them word that he had not failed to redeem 
his pledge. 

The carriages are now at the door — the family cir¬ 
cle is gathered in the hall — the golden band still 
unsevered. Who shall sunder those loving ones, to 
meet no more on earth ? Who shall break that painful 
silence, to be broken only by the farewell word ? It 
was Henrietta who first moved. With a strange calm¬ 
ness she went through the parting scene. Struggling 
with emotion, the mother embraced her child and 
sobbed out her farewell. Henrietta took her mother’s 
hand, and there was one burst of feeling, as she 
exclaimed, “ Mother! is it possible I shall never see 
you again?” But she quickly regained her control, 
and, casting a last look upon her trees and flowers, she 
entered the carriage and bade adieu to her home for¬ 
ever ! To those who knew her sensibility, and the 
peculiar strength of her attachments, there was a sub¬ 
limity in her conduct, throughout this trying scene, 
which could not fail to win their admiration. 

A long and absorbing silence followed this final sep¬ 
aration; but when Henrietta could speak, it was to 


106 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


express the assurance that her friends would be blest in 
the sacrifice they had made for the cause of Christ. 
She said that she had formerly loved home more than 
duty, but that now she hoped she loved duty more than 
home; that, if any worldly motive had induced her thus 
to leave her friends, she should have been guilty of 
folly and unkindness,— but, for the cause of such a 
Master, it was what every one should be willing to do. 

As they rode on through the romantic scenery sur¬ 
rounding her home, she read the following notes, which 
had been placed in her hand by her mother. 

“ Dorset, Sept. 3, 1838. 

“My dear Son : Farewell! To you I commit my darling 
child, as her only earthly protector and comforter. Lead her 
in the way to heaven, — seek the blessing of God for her, and 
may the God of Abraham be your God, and bless you with all 
the blessings of the covenant! May you have the same pre¬ 
cious faith, accompanied with works, which will be a testimony 
for you to the world and to your own conscience, that you fear 
God ! When far from your own country and your father’s 
house, should you be called to trials, as was the Father of the 
faithful, may you ever hear the dear Saviour saying to you, 
‘ My peace I give unto you ! ’ ‘ Let not your heart be troubled, 
neither let it be afraid.’ ‘ My grace is sufficient for thee.’ 

* * * * * “ May the God and. Father of our Lord 

Jesus Christ be the God and Father of us all, and prepare us 
for a happy eternity in His presence. This is the prayer of 

“Your affectionate 

“ Mother.” 

“ Dear Henrietta : Farewell! May God be your Father, 
Christ your precious Saviour, and the Holy Spirit your 
Teacher and Guide ! May God’s word abide in you, and be 
the rejoicing of your heart! May you ever have a firm hold 
on the promises, ‘ Lo! Iam with you always.’ ‘ I will never 
leave you nor forsake you.’ In death may Christ be the 
strength of your heart, and make you more than conqueror 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


107 


through his blood ! May he stand with you at the bar of judg¬ 
ment, and plead his own perfect righteousnes and atoning 
sacrifice ! And when he shall sit down to see of the travail 
of his soul, may you sit with him in some humble place, satis¬ 
fied and rejoicing that you have in any degree been partaker 
of his labors, his sufferings and his joys ! Thus prays 
“Your ever affectionate 

“Mother.” 

No wonder that the tears flowed fast from her over¬ 
burdened heart! But she was not yet through the try¬ 
ing scene. Her beloved father, who had accompanied 
them a few miles, must now leave her. Her spirit had 
been taxed to its utmost, and she could bear no more. 
The deep fountains of her grief were broken up, and 
she wept, and wept, and wept. When they arrived at 
a point in the road where, through the opening moun¬ 
tains, they caught the last glimpse of the Dorset Peak, 
Henrietta gazed upon it with uncontrollable emotion, 
exclaiming “ There is my home and my mother! ” 

Those were the last tears she was seen to shed in her 
native land. The other parting scenes she passed 
through with the same calmness as at first. But it was 
too much for her. Her constant effort to control her 
feelings taxed too heavily her physical powers, and 
there was consequently an inward exhaustion, a 
wasting away of strength and vigor. 

From Dorset, Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin proceeded to her 
sister’s, in Millbury, Mass., where she wrote as follows : 

“ My dear Sister S.: I would say sisters, but that 1 sup¬ 
pose sister M. will have gone from that home where we have 
enjoyed so many happy meetings, but where we may never 
meet again. My home ! I never knew till now how well 1 
loved it. My last farewell has told me that no other place 
can ever be so dear to my heart. My youthful feelings have 


108 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


been given to it, and I can never know any others so warm and 
fresh as those which have gushed forth among the familiar 
scenes of my childhood. How I shall feel to think of your 
loneliness in that dear spot where we have so long hoped, 
feared and enjoyed everything together! I cannot tell you 
how many of my thoughts have been with you, since I left. 1 
have remembered you upon my bed in the night-watches, and 
have shed tears and poured out prayers for you. You will 
ever be in my heart of hearts, — a sister whose forbearing, 
generous and self-sacrificing love have made you as dear as a 
sister could be. It has affected me to remember all your 
patient toil for me, as I am and shall be constantly reminded 
of it by almost everything I see. * * * * 

* # “I confess that my heart is at times almost dis¬ 
tracted with grief; yet I do not regret that such a life as I 
anticipate is before me. I would go forward with cheerfulness 
and hope in the path that Providence has pointed out to me, 
trusting that it will be brightened by many blessings. * * * 

* * “We shall meet in Andover a little before the time 
of sailing. It is pleasant to look forward to such a meeting, 
though I feel that it will be full of sadness. 

“I cannot say what 1 feel in thinking of those whom I shall 
see no more on this side of the grave.” 

She had expected to meet her friend M. in Boston, 
and to be accompanied by her to Portland, where the 
annual meeting of the American Board was this year 
holden, and where Mr. Hamlin had a large circle of 
friends. As unforeseen circumstances prevented this, 
Henrietta wrote to her as follows: 

“ We have need to be comforted ourselves, and how could 
you ask us to console you for a disappointment which we have 
felt so keenly ? With what a bounding heart I anticipated our 
meeting in Boston, and how it sank when they told me you 
would not come ! I was just wanting one of those old-fash¬ 
ioned talks more than anything else in the world. I longed 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


109 


for it, as the only thing that would make me feel like myself 
once more. I have been passing through such scenes that my 
heart can hardly recover itself from their strangeness. I 
wished for something that would carry me back, so that I could 
realize the past and present together. Your visit would have 
done it better than anything else. But that is past, and let us 
talk about the future. I am to see you here before long. 0, M.! 
if it could only be that you were going to Smyrna, how happy 
should I be ! I have not dared to believe or hope anything 
about it, but I pray that it may be so, if our heavenly Father 
can permit it. 

“ I am glad that you and my friend will not meet as strang¬ 
ers. I will make no revelations from the ‘ world within ’ till 
we meet again. Till then, and evermore, 

“ Yours, affectionately, 

“ Henrietta.” 

In accordance with these wishes, the friends passed 
several days together in Portland. A ramble to Deer- 
ing’s Oaks, a delightful grove, a little out of the city, 
in which they were accompanied by a third friend, was 
one of peculiar interest. Seating themselves on a green 
knoll, in the shade of the spreading oaks, they com¬ 
muned of the past, the present and the future. As a 
memento of that walk, they tied together three bunches 
of evergreen, each containing three different species, 
gathered by the three friends. On their return, they « 
were enclosed in separate envelopes, and of these each 
friend retained one. When M. parted from Henrietta in 
Portland, they expected to pass some time together in 
Andover. But while Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin were there 
a singular providence detained her friend from home till 
they had left the place. 

“Andover, Oct. 23, 1838. 

“ Dear M.: My brother came in this morning with a pack¬ 
age of letters. There was one from you among them, and I 

10 


110 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


exclaimed, ‘ It is good — very good ! I have been thinking of 
her, and longing to see her this morning.’ It was a special 
longing. 

“ How could I help feeling sorry for your suffering ? I, too, 
am glad ‘ it is over,’ — but I wish you could talk. How I shall 
feel, if you cannot talk with me when I see you! 

“ I have been saying, since I came to Andover, * O, if we 
could have as much time together now as we had in Portland, 
how much I should enjoy it! ’ My tongue would be unloosed, 
and my heart unlocked to its inmost recesses. 

* # * * « O, M., how can I bear to think that a few 

more little visits, and we meet no more ? My heart is already 
worn and weary with saying so many farewells. I feel, dear 
M., that a last farewell to you will cost me not a little. But 
the heart must ache, O how often, here! May all our griefs 
advance our preparation for that home where there is no more 
sorrow ! This is the earnest prayer of 

“ Yours affectionately, 

“ Henrietta.” 


“ Millbury, Oct. 30th. 

“ Dear M. : 1 am in Millbury, instead of being in Andover 
with you , as I expected to be. It is indeed a disappointment. * * 

# =& # # “ Is it possible that I shall see you once, and 

then no more ? I am strangely bewildered with what I have 
already passed through, and with what is still before me. 

^Yet I feel an increased willingness to go to my distant home, 
in the hope that 1 may live and labor for the good of those 
who are perishing in darkness. 

“ But this note is only to tell you that I love you as ever. 

“ Your affectionate 

“ Henrietta.” 

“ Millbury, Nov. 23, 1838. 

“Dear M.: We have this day received intelligence that 
our passage is engaged in the bark Euromas , which is to sail 
for Smyrna Monday, December 3. I shall be in Boston 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Ill 


Saturday morning, — and you will spend the day with me, 
will you not ? 

“We are glad to be called away, though it be from beloved 
friends. I had begun to grow restless of such a long delay. 
Constantinople has come to seem more like my home than any 
other place, and I have a great lo?iging to be there. I think it 
will be a pleasant home, and that we shall love our work and 
be happy in it. If you were going too — but I must not think 
of what cannot be. 

“ I shall greatly prize that book of extracts you have pie- 
pared for me. You could not have given me anything that I 
should value so much. 

“ 1 must see you again, and I will think of nothing else as 
possible. Henrietta.” 

The following letters from her parents were received 
just before she left the country : 

“ Dear Henrietta : * * * * 

* * “I have no desire to speak of feelings now. None 

but mothers can judge a mother’s feelings. O, that I could 
sorrow for nothing but sin! May the Lord be the strength of 
your heart, and your portion forever! May He be the soul 
satisfying portion of us all! 

“ I pray the Lord to direct your ways in mercy, and to pre¬ 
pare you by all his dealings for his heavenly kingdom. How 
slow are our hearts to receive the blessings He is holding out 
to us! He offers enough to make us happy, even in tribulation 
and in death, if we would accept it. We must seek our hap¬ 
piness in God, — we can find it nowhere but there. 

“ Your ever, ever affectionate 

“ Mother.” 

“ Surely the meeting in our heavenly Father’s house will 
not be the less pleasant and joyful for our having been called 
home from different fields of labor. And is it not enough, my 
dear daughter, to know that the most done for Christ, the 


112 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


best-improved day, will be succeeded by the sweetest rest. 
Then I say again, ‘ Let not your heart be troubled.’ But how 
much of thought and feeling must be unsaid, till we meet 
where the communion of kindred spirits will feel no more the 
barriers of time and distance ! There is now a very delightful 
sense in which I believe we shall dwell together still, though 
oceans roll between. Care, then, only to work out your short 
day. 1 trust it will be a happy one. I doubt not that it will, 
if you care only to please Him who hath chosen you. He will 
take care of you and your friends, the little time we are apart 
in our work. I mean not to imply, by such a strain, that you 
are at all propensed to a faintness of heart, in view of your 
undertaking. I have thought it was happily otherwise. But 
I wanted to open to your vision the bank of faith, that you may 
see, in the darkest hour, how rich are your resources, if you 
have a gracious investment there. I trust you have, and it 
must not be lost sight of. Bear ever in mind that we can no 
where live with the heart neglected. And it is not strange 
that missionaries, removed beyond the atmosphere of Chris¬ 
tian light and influence, have complained of spiritual leanness, 
and have found the exhortation of Moses to Israel in the 
wilderness to be all-important. ‘ Only take heed to thyself 
and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which 
thine eyes have seen. 

“While my address is to you, I mean to include the two 
whom I so recently pronounced‘no more twain.’* # * * 

* * «I must forbear, and commend you again, with a 

%iill heart, to the Great Shepherd of the sheep. Take Paul’s 
salutation to friends long dear to his heart, — 2 Cor. 13 : 11, 
— as what may not improbably prove the last from 
“ Your ever affectionate father, 

“ Wm. Jackson.” 

Might not these parents, who, with such a trusting 
and heroic spirit, thus pronounced their farewell bene¬ 
dictions upon their departing child,— might they not 
have pleaded her frail constitution, her sensitive deli- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


113 


cacy, her retiring habits and her ardent attachment to 
home, as reasons for declining so great a sacrifice? 
But not for one moment do they allow these considera¬ 
tions, or the yearnings of parental affection, to dim the 
bright flame of their love to the dear Redeemer. Did 
they ever regret their offering? Does the mother of 
Harriet Newell, in her placid old age, as serenely she 
descends to the dark valley — does she regret her 
sacrifice ? * 

In these latter days, when the experiment made in 
weakness and trembling has been attended with so 
important results, and the labors of missionaries have 
been crowned with such signal success, it is inexpli¬ 
cable that the young and educated in the church, who 
are seeking a sphere of usefulness, should either shrink 
from this one themselves, or be withheld from it by 
their friends. 

With what a mournful echo does the imploring cry 
for bread — the bread of life — fall upon our ear from 
the famishing millions of the East! And who are they 
that respond ? 

Here is one whose heart burns within her at the 
earnest entreaties of the outcast ones of earth; but, she 
cannot go. Her parents listen to her pleas, but they 
will not consent. Have they then stood in the shadow 
of the cross, and beheld the unrepining sufferer sus-* 
pended there ? Are they partakers of Christ’s glorious 
salvation ? Ah, yes ! they have had sweet experience 
of the preciousness of that which was purchased at 
such a priceless cost,— the tears and agonies of the 
Son of God ! He gave for them, not fruitless desires, 
not barren prayers, not the glories of heaven merely; 
but he gave a life of toil and ignominy, and then, to 
complete his work, he poured out his heart’s blood 

* This beloved disciple has just now fallen asleep in Jesus. 

10 * 


J14 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


like water. But to him they cannot give their child. 
Suppose that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ had 
shrunk from the sacrifice of sending his only, his well- 
beloved Son upon his mission of love to our lost race ! 
There would then have been no redeeming Cross, no 
brazen serpent, on which these parents could bid their 
children, stricken with the plague of sin, look and live. 

Alas ! it is one of the saddest things in our time, that 
hearts so bound by every tie of gratitude and love 
should withhold the offering for which the Saviour asks. 

“ I have consecrated this child to the service of God 
as a missionary,” said a mother of her infant son. And 
God accepted this offering; for as a pioneer he entered 
the missionary field, and gave his life to bleeding 
Africa. Wears he not now the noblest laurels, and is 
not that mother blessed among women ? 

How importunate have been the pleadings of our 
returned veteran missionaries for helpers in their work ! 
Not a few young women, touched by these pleas, re¬ 
sponded to the call. And the hearts of those heroic 
laborers were quickened with the purest joy. But the 
fathers and the mothers of these willing spirits could 
not he persuaded to give their approval. How unlike 
the mother of Mills ! How unlike the great and com¬ 
passionate Father! Surely, hesitating ones, ye know 
not what ye do. You consecrated your child to God 
in her infancy. What was the meaning of this bap¬ 
tismal consecration ? No expense within your power 
has been spared, that she might be qualified for use¬ 
fulness. And now a field is opened — she is fitted to 
enter it—she is willing to enter it—she longs to entei 
it — Providence points her there — the Spirit inclines 
her there — all things say, “ Come.” Dare you assume 
the responsibility of withholding her 3 Have you con¬ 
ditioned with the Saviour that you and your dear ones 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


115 


shall be wreathed with his crown of glory, but spared 
his baptism of suffering? 

O, how does the spirit of the Spartan mother cry 
shame upon such time-serving allegiance, such timid 
shrinking from the calls of duty! “ With this, or upon 
it,” was her heroic farewell to her departing son, as, 
presenting to him his shield, she urged him to the 
battle-field for his country’s glory. No selfish con¬ 
siderations marred the brightness of her sacrifice. 

And, in these modern times, how many a precious 
offering is laid upon the shrine of Mammon! How 
many sons and daughters receive the benediction 
of their parents, as they go to far-distant regions, 
in the hope of securing wealth ! What parting scenes 
do they pass through, to what toils are they exposed! — 
and yet parental love will not withhold the offering 
for which Mammon calls. But how few, how meagre 
are the motives to such a sacrifice, compared with 
those which the cause of missions presents! How 
does the grandeur of this enterprise exceed that of all 
others! 

O ! it is most noble, in the cause of such a Master, to 
labor for the benighted of this sin-darkened world,— to 
bring the tidings of salvation to those sitting in the 
shadow of death ! Will not the souls thus ransomed a 
thousand times outweigh Golconda’s mines and Califor¬ 
nia’s glittering sands ? Is not the fadeless crown worth 
infinitely more than all the fleeting treasures of this 
passing world ? 

“ They that turn many to righteousness shall shine 
as the stars for ever and ever.” Fathers! mothers! 
would you not have your daughters thus radiant in 
immortal splendor? It is glorious to be a co-worker 
with Christ. If rightfully we bear his name, we are 
born not only to his inheritance of glory, but unto his 


116 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


baptism of suffering. O, let us not despise our birth¬ 
right ! 

“ Through cross to crown; and though thy spirit’s life 
Trials untold assail with giant strength, 

Good cheer ! good cheer! soon ends the bitter strife, 

And thou shalt reign in peace with Christ at length.” 


EMBARKATION, PASSAGE AND 
ARRIVAL. 


8TRAITS OF GIBRALTAR-HARBOR OF MILO-NARROW ESCAPE—BAY OP 

FOKEA-SMYRNA — ARMENIAN WEDDING. 

** Go, in thy glory, o’er the ancient sea, 

Take with thee gentle winds, thy sails to swell; 

Sunshine and joy upon thy streamers be,— 

Fare thee well, bark, farewell ! 

A long farewell ! Thou wilt not bring us back 

Those whom thou bearest far from home and hearth. 

0 ! she is thine, whose steps no more shall track 
Her own sweet native earth.” Mrs. Hehans. 


The departure of Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin had been so 
often deferred, that, notwithstanding Henrietta’s letter, 
mentioning the day on which they expected to sail, 
her friend had not the remotest idea that they would 
leave at the time appointed. What sorrow was hers 
when the following note, written with a pencil and in a 
tremulous hand, told her that she had delayed her fare- - 
well visit till it was too late ! 


“ Bark Euromas, Monday, Dec. 3. 

“ Dear M. : Farewell! Can it be that I shall see your face 
no more ? May we meet in heaven ! 

“ Adieu from. 

“ Henrietta.” 

A letter from her friend was soon following her over 
the wide waters. 

“ I have wept with the same bitterness of grief that I should 
have felt beside your grave. 


118 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ Monday passed away; I no more thought of it as being 
your sailing than your dying day. Tuesday father handed me 
your note. You can conceive how I felt. Father wished to 
see it, and then—we wept together. When he could com¬ 
mand his voice,he said, ‘I always loved Henrietta.’ It sounded 
as if you were dead l" * * # * * 

From Henrietta’s reply we give an extract: 

“ Your letter was like yourself. It was indeed pleasant to 
be reading a letter from M. in this far-off country, where there 
are so few things that seem familiar. And yet it made me 
weep so much that my husband sent me to my own room. It 
is good to shed such tears as are drawn from our eyes by the 
remembrance of friends. * * * * I could not believe 

that I should go without seeing you till the last moment came. 
It did seem very hard. But perhaps it was better that we 
should not meet again.” 

Mr. Hamlin adds: 

“ One day, just at dinner-time, Mr. Goodell handed me six¬ 
teen American letters, and of course I went home with a palpi¬ 
tating heart. As Henrietta was looking them over, her eye 
caught your well-known hand, and, exclaiming ‘ O, here is one 
from M.! ’ she almost sprang from her chair. In a moment I 
saw the tears flowing, and soon she wept so uncontrollably 
that my Armenian teacher and the servant thought her mother 
or sisters were dead. I replied, ‘ No.’ ‘ What is it, then, that 
makes kokona weep so ? ’ ‘ Memory,’ said I. ‘ Ach ! kidem, 

kidem.’ (Ah ! I know, I know.) And after she had gone to 
her chamber to weep there, I told them what a home and frie ds 
she had left.” 

But we must go back to that memorable day, whe n, 
for the last time, Henrietta left the shores of her nati ve 
land. 

Crowds are gathered upon the wharf, to watch the 


t 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 119 

vessel as she bears slowly away. Upon the deck have 
been uncovered heads and tearful eyes, for the inter¬ 
ceding prayer and the song of praise have arisen upon 
the air, and been echoed over the blue waters. Severe 
is the struggle in that affectionate heart, but her pur¬ 
pose is unwavering. 

The last words are spoken, the last kiss is given, the 
tremulous pressure of the hand is exchanged, betraying 
the sorrow which no words can utter. And now the 
gallant ship leaves the wharf, and, like a mighty bird, 
glides over the white waves, separating forever loving 
and faithful hearts. 


“ Bark Euromas, Dec. 22, 1838. 

“My dear Friends: I love to have so much time to think 
of you as I do while lying in my berth. I am often looking 
back to the places and scenes 1 have left. I have whole morn¬ 
ings, afternoons and evenings, in which to remember them. 
But it is at the coming on of twilight that I am more especially 
present with you. Then I commence a circuit of visitings, 
looking in upon each of the dear circles, until I arrive at that 
place dearer than all others, the home of my childhood. Here 
my spirit would linger. The eye cannot be satisfied with see¬ 
ing, nor the ear with hearing. 1 sit down where I used to sit, 
and look about upon familiar things. I go into every room. 
Nothing is changed. I look out of every window, and enjoy 
the view peculiar to each. O, I have visions of my home that 
make me very happy! But when the thought comes, ‘ You 
will return to it no more,’ there is a faintness of heart I cannot 
describe. There are struggles which seem too much for the 
spirit to bear,— and yet it endures them. I am not unhappy. 1 
would be where I am, tossing upon the ocean which is bearing 
me far from home and friends, to a land of strangers. I would 
go and do what I can for those who are sitting in darkness. 
May the prayers of my friends follow me, and at last, when 
we shall meet again, may it appear that our prayers and our 
sacrifices have not been in vain ! 


120 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ Wednesday , Dec. 26. — A little more than three weeks of 
our voyage are passed. I can hardly believe that it is so long 
since we left Boston that Monday noon, and yet I am almost 
tired of my berth, and these close walls often seem like prison 
walls. Still I can look forward to the four or five weeks that 
remain with less impatience than I should have expected. I 
have really enjoyed having so much time to think. I have 
been looking over the past, and gathering up its treasures for 
future years. We have also some talking and reading, so that 
I have no great cause to complain of weariness. 

“ For the first few days I was severely sick ; but since then I 
have avoided much suffering by lying quietly in my berth. If 
1 leave it long, a dizzy, fainting head soon brings me back. 
Mr. Hamlin drove off his sickness almost immediately, I believe 
by a strong determination of will not to be sick, that he might 
the better administer to my necessities. 

“We receive every needful kindness from the ship’s com¬ 
pany, which we find a very pleasant one. The captain is an 
agreeable, sensible and gentlemanly man, in whom we have 
entire confidence. He is very young for his place, being only 
twenty-three, and has not put on the roughness and reckless¬ 
ness of some sea-captains. 

“ Our table-fare is uncommonly good, embracing a great 
variety of eatables. That, however, has not been of much con¬ 
sequence to us as yet. We find our provisions as to drinks 
and medicines ample, and of the right kind. 

“ I had not looked out upon the ocean until a few days since, 
when I enjoyed a glimpse of it from our little window. ‘ O, 
what mountain waves! what mountain waves! ’ I exclaimed, 
as they burst upon my view. I thought I had seen the ocean 
before, but I never had. It has been tempest-wrought almost 
ever since we came upon it, and cannot calm itself at once. 

“ The captain says we might cross the Atlantic twenty times, 
without seeing such waves as have broken over our vessel since 
we left Boston. It has been storm and calm, storm and calm, 
in rapid succession. The winds have blown furiously, and 
then have suddenly left us at the mercy of the big waves, to be 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


121 


rocked whither they would. It is a stormy way that we look 
back upon, and I would not willingly pass through its dangers 
again. The first storm terrified me more than the others have 
done. It came on in the night, very suddenly and violently. 
I was waked from sleep by the hurry and bustle of the deck. 
They were new sounds to me. Soon a seaman in storm-dress 
burst into our room, holding a dead-light in his hands,—a 
great black plank, which he bound into our window. Its 
dreadful name seized me with terror, and then the roaring 
winds and dashing waters made up the scene of a storm at 
sea, such as my imagination had never equalled. The storm 
passed away with the coming morning. The winds were 
hushed, but the waves did not cease their motion, of which we 
were made sensible by the rolling and tipping we experienced, 
and which threatened our treasured stores with a thorough 
mixing up about us. Broken bottles, cups and saucers, were 
sliding over our floor in rapid procession. An indifferent spec¬ 
tator might have smiled at the scene; but with us it was no 
time to laugh. This was during the first week of our voyage. 
I have now become more accustomed to storms, so that I do 
not feel sinking to the bottom, even when the ship tips a good 
deal. 

“ There is a prospect of more pleasant weather, since we have 
passed the Western Islands. We are sailing rapidly towards 
the Straits of Gibraltar, and, with a fair wind, shall reach them 
in two or three days. It is pleasant to be approaching the 
habitations of man once more. With what delight shall 1 look 
upon his dwelling, be he savage, Greek or Jew ! 

“ Friday morning, Dec. 21. — We are in the Straits of Gibral¬ 
tar. Africa is on our right hand, Europe on our left. How 
different the picture ! Here is light and beauty; a halo seems 
spread over everything. There , darkness and cruelty have 
rested for ages. On what scenes of guilt and woe hath the sun 
looked down, in his daily course over this land ! How much 
longer shall this unhappy people sit in darkness? May the 
gospel speedily be sent to them; and may the Lord give it 
entrance and free course, until the savage shall have become 
11 


122 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


the Christian throughout the continent! And may the time 
be hastened when this whole world shall be a theatre of hap¬ 
piness, from which love and praise shall ascend to Him who 
made it! 

“We entered the straits about two o’clock this morning. 
The moon was shining beautifully, and I went up on deck to 
enjoy it; but the wind blew so cold that I could not stop long. 
Just as the morning was beginning to dawn, they called me to 
see the rock of Gibraltar. There w r as but a faint light, and 
we were passing at the distance of five or six miles. Nearly 
opposite, on the other shore, an African hill rises abruptly to 
the height of a mountain. Its appearance is very singular and 
bold. These rocks were called by the ancients the Pillars of 
Hercules. 

“ Friday afternoon. — We are sailing in the Mediterranean 
Sea, within sight of the mountains of Spain and Africa. We 
look back to the Straits of Gibraltar, which may easily be dis¬ 
tinguished by the rock and hill. It is a beautiful picture. 

“ I wish I could describe to you the Spanish mountains, as 
they stand with their base in the sea, and their tops in the 
clouds. Imagine them twice as high as the Green Mountains, 
— not, like those, smooth and beautifully rounded, but rough 
and angular, terminating almost always in a point, so that they 
look like great pyramids of rock, standing along the shore. It 
is a long chain of mountains, and we shall be sailing beside 
them for several days to come. I shall like their company. 
They look so home-like that I should never tire of gazing on 
them. 

“ We find the weather much colder since coming into the 
Mediterranean. It is probably because of our vicinity to those 
snow-capped mountains. Since the first day out, I have suf¬ 
fered more from heat than from cold. It has been difficult for 
us to imagine that you were shivering about winter fires, and 
looking out upon banks of snow. 

“ Friday evening. — I have just been up to see the sun go 
down behind the hills of Africa. It was a beautiful, yet sad¬ 
dening sight. It reminded me of the many sunsets I have 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


123 


seen among my own dear hills, — those hills which I shall 
never see again! 

“ Saturday afternoon. —We are approaching nearer the moun¬ 
tains ; some of them are bold and rough, others are regular 
and beautiful. I have been gazing and feeling , till I could 
almost imagine myself among the hills that encircle my home. 

“ Monday eve. — Four weeks have passed since we left our 
native land. I cast my thoughts forward to the time when 
years shall have passed away, and ask myself, Will its scenes 
ever lie dim in the distance ? Never. They will be too fondly 
cherished for decay. 

“ January 3 d. — I make short visits on deck since we have 
lost sight of land. I turn away, and long for something that 
the eye can rest upon with satisfaction. Then I come down 
into my little room, and stay all day. 1 am still in my berth 
most of the time, because my head is so much better off there 
than elsewhere. Mr. H. reads to me, so that the time does 
not pass very heavily. We have been reading Bancroft’s His¬ 
tory of the United States, which is exceedingly interesting. 
We are now studying Wayland’s Moral Philosophy. And we 
have a shelf full of books, that we look into occasionally. 

“ Thursday , 10 th. —We are before the island of Cerigo, which 
presents a shore of high, bold mountains. About half way up, 
stands the city of Kopsuly, defended by a strong fortification. 
That English exiles live here is all we know about it. 

“ Friday noon. — We have just reached the harbor of Milo, 
having escaped a furious storm without. The wind has been 
blowing a gale, and we were in danger of being driven upon 
land in the darkness of night. But we have been preserved 
through all our dangers, and are now safely sheltered in one 
of the safest and most pleasant harbors in the world. Two 
pilots have come to offer their services, each attended by an 
officer of government. They are Greeks, but speak English, 
and very politely invited us on shore. It is pleasant to rest 
here so quietly, and only hear the storm at a distance. 

“ Friday afternoon. — The storm has passed, and the sun is 
shining very pleasantly. I have been on deck to see where we 


124 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


are. It is refreshing- to see the green fields of wheat and bar¬ 
ley that border the shore. But I should not like to live here. 
Imagine how bare an island must look, with not a single tree 
upon it larger than we should call a shrub in America. There 
are only olive and fig trees, no taller than lilac-bushes; and of 
these there are but a few scattered over the island at great 
distances. The city of Milo presents a most singular appear¬ 
ance. Among many hills, is one rising up in the form of a bee¬ 
hive. On the summit of this is a strong fortification, around 
which the houses are built in circles, one below another, about 
half-way down the hill. They have chosen this situation to 
defend themselves from pirates. 

“ Saturday eve .— We are again quietly anchored in the 
harbor of Milo, where we came to find shelter from another 
storm. We left here this morning, with a head-wind, and had 
beat our way but a few miles when night came on, and, it 
being very dark and stormy, we were afraid to be out among 
the islands. We are resting as calmly as if there were no 
storm about us. I never felt the beauty and force of the 
* haven of rest,’ alluded to in poetry, as I do now, having come 
in from a furious sea. 

“ Sabbath evening. — We are still in harbor, and the storm 
has increased with such violence that we are glad to be here. 
I heard the mate say that there would have been a slender 
chance for our ship, if we had been out among the islands last 
night. 

“ While we were at dinner, a messenger came in haste to tell 
the captain that a brig was close upon us, and seemed to be 
coming into our side. They all ran on deck, and left me in 
breathless waiting for the shock that would dash us to pieces! 
But soon Mr. Hamlin came down and said we were safe, 
though the brig came within a few feet of us. As soon as we 
were out of danger, the captain said, ‘ Where are you from?’ 
‘Smyrna.’ ‘Where are you going?’ ‘To New York.’ 
‘ Will you take letters ? ’ ‘ Yes, if you can get them on 

board.’ That was the question — to get them on board. The 
vessel was in quarantine, and we could not speak it; but the 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


125 


captain said he would try to hail the boat when it returned 
from leaving the pilot, and get it to take our letters to the brig. 
We all sat down to writing as fast as possible, and when the 
boat appeared the letters were put into a bucket and let down 
to them. It was done so clumsily that they all dipped into 
the sea, and took a bathing, which did not probably improve 
their beauty or legibility. 

“Harbor of Milo, Monday afternoon. — You will believe 
that I cannot have become very tired of the ship, when I tell 
you that 1 have just refused an invitation to go on shore with 
Mr. Hamlin and the captain. I have the whole afternoon to 
pass away here alone. Yet I do not feel restlessness or ennui. 
When I am tired of reading and writing, I can go on deck and 
look at the island. There is a pleasant sunshine upon it now, 
which brightens everything into beauty. The green fields, the 
brown, rocky hills, the low, rude houses, — all are beautiful. 

“ I have not felt the weight of time since I have become well 
enough to be in action. The books are lying about me unread, 
for we cannot read the half of them in this voyage. We have 
a little French every day, preparing ourselves for conversation.* 
It is a very enlivening exercise, and makes our amusement. 

“ Monday evening. — Mr. Hamlin and Captain Drew are 
returned in safety, and delighted with their excursion. Mr. 
Hamlin brought me a splendid bouquet of Greek flowers, which 
he found in the fields; some of them very beautiful. You 
cannot imagine what a gladdening sight it was to me. Capt. 
Drew brought me an orange, which he said was the only one 
that he could find upon the island. The pilot went with them, 
to point out the lions of the place. They visited the city, and 
he took them to his house, where they had a treat of wine, 
oranges and almonds. The pilot’s wife is daughter of the 
French consul, so that they belong to the nobility, and live 
near the top of the hill. When they were coming away, she 
desired the captain to let her husband stop till morning. She 
had been keeping the cat under the bucket all day, to get a 
north wind, that should detain us in harbor, so that her hus¬ 
band could come on shore. 

11 * 


126 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ Wedv 2 sday evening. — We are in the Bay of Fokea, 
where we have come to escape a storm. Looking up to the 
window, I saw that we were passing a fortification, its cannon- 
mouths staring upon us. Soon we came in sight of olive- 
groves and Turkish farm-houses, scattered here and there 
along the green shore. It was a beautiful and refreshing 
sight. 

“We are anchored before the town of Fokea, which is 
unlike anything you ever saw. You can hardly imagine how 
novel and strange everything seems. I can only gaze, wonder 
and admire, — I cannot describe. I am enjoying my Mediter¬ 
ranean voyage very much. 

“ Thursday evening. —We are a few miles from Smyrna. 
It has been a breathless calm all day, but this evening it is 
blowing a gale. We are wondering where we shall stop for 
the night, as it is too dark to enter the harbor of Smyrna. 
This morning, before light, we passed the island of Scio. I 
went upon deck and looked towards it, for how could I remain 
in my berth while passing Scio ? It is said to have been the 
birth-place of Homer withal. We could only distinguish a line 
of white along the shore, which marked their villages. 

“ Smyrna, Jan. 19 th. — Our bark came into harbor yester¬ 
day morning, and. we came on shore as soon as the rough sea 
would allow, which was not till afternoon. It is delightful to 
be again among those who dwell upon the earth. We are 
stopping at Mr. Temple’s house, where we have received a 
kind welcome. We have already seen the missionaries, and 
like them very much. 

“ Jan. Zbth. — * * * 1 would be in our own roam at 

Constantinople as soon as possible. I have been homeless too 
long. 

“ Mr. Adger’s teacher, an Armenian, from Constantinople, 
is to be married in two weeks from this, and he wishes very 
much that we would stay to the wedding. He is a sensible 
and well-educated man, of very gentlemanly appearance. The 
lady to whom he is to be married can neither read nor write. 
Almost everything here is as strange as this. She is of a 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


127 


wealthy famil), and very respectably connected. We went by 
invitation to <. ine with her, at the house of a cousin, last 
Wednesday evening. The invitation was for half-past five 
o’clock. At six we sat down to the table. The dinner was partly 
in the Frank and partly in the Turkish style. One course fol¬ 
lowed upon another, until I was tired of counting. I should 
think there were twelve dishes of meats, served up in different 
ways, — then followed the delicacies of the country, fruits, 
Turkish sweetmeats, &c. At ten o’clock we had coffee 
passed, at eleven tea, and at twelve we left. 

“We are now stopping at Mr. Adger’s, whose house is in a 
very pleasant part of the city. Just before the door flows the 
river Melas, which passes through the middle of the paved 
street. From the window before me I have a beautiful view 
of the city, which rears its many domes and spires of mosques 
and minarets. Beyond are mountains, some of them high and 
covered with snow, and some of them beautifully fresh and 
green. In another direction, I look over a range of gardens, 
toward aTurkish burial-ground, with its dark groves of cypress. 
A little beyond, rises a hill, on the brow of which are the ruins 
of an ancient castle. About half-way up is the grave of Poly¬ 
carp, under the shade of a tall cypress. It is marked by a 
monument, which may be distinctly seen at this distance. 

“ Friday afternoon. — I cannot sit down to write of things 
afar off, while my heart is with you in your very midst. How 
I would like to be with you to-day! And I would sit down by 
your pleasant fire and warm myself, for I am very cold. This 
will seem strange to you when I am looking out upon a garden 
green as summer. There are orange and lemon trees, and 
close by the window is a hedge of China roses, from which I 
have just broken a beautiful bunch of buds and blossoms. But it 
is not summer, and I am shivering with cold. I no doubt feel it 
more because my system has been reduced by sea-sickness.* * 

“ I was at a dinner the other evening where twelve 
different languages were spoken at the table. It is not un¬ 
common fcr children at play upon the carpet to speak three 
languages. 


128 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ Saturday. — I went yesterday, with Mr. Adger and Mrs. 
Riggs, to see the ruins of an ancient castle. I wish I had the 
space to describe them. We also saw the remains of the 
amphitheatre where Polycarp suffered martyrdom. We passed 
the ruins of an ancient theatre and temple, and visited a Jew¬ 
ish burial-ground. We passed a caravan of camels from the 
country, which was resting by the way. Everything is 
oriental, and carries you back into the past. 

“ Mr. Hamlin asks this letter to fold, and I can write no more. 
Love to all, — to all. I think of each when I write. 

“ Henrietta.” 

With the selections from Mrs. Hamlin’s foreign let¬ 
ters are mingled frequent quotations from those of her 
mother. Breathing, as they do, such warm maternal 
instincts, and so delightful and enlarged a spirit of 
Christian benevolence, no one, we think, can read them 
without interest. But, in making these extracts, there 
has been ever in our thoughts a sweet group of children 
in a far-distant land, to whom they will have a peculiar 
value. 

It was the delight of this truly Christian mother, in 
correspondence, to pour out her heart to her absent 
daughter, who took no less delight in the reception of 
her letters. She often wept over them without restraint, 
and read them again and again, enjoying them more at 
every perusal. 

From her mother: 


“ Dorset, Jan. 25th, 1839. 

“ Dear Children : * * * * # 

* # # “ Nothing but this is out of the common course 

at the old mansion; and, whatever your inquiries might be, we 
could only answer, ‘ The morning cometh and also the night.* 
The mercies that have flowed around us so long still continue 
to flow. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


129 


“ Dear Henri itta, I need not tell you how, with a mother’s 
anxiety, my thoughts have followed you on the dangerous deep, 
— to the strange land of Smyrna, and to your unknown abode 
in Constantinople. I felt that I myself, as well as you, was 
cut off from all dependence on creatures, and could hope only 
in God. My mind often dwelt on the treasures He has pre¬ 
pared for those that forsake all for Him. My parting with you 
has led me to understand many passages in the Bible as I never 
did before. You have acted, in the eyes of blind and selfish 
creatures, as if you hated father and mother, and your own 
life also. But how reasonable the requirement! Surely 
Christ is worthy of forsaking all for. 

“ Many times, when I am thinking of the Bible and the 
precious truths it contains, I rejoice in my heart that you have 
gone to teach the knowledge of it to the ignorant, and cause 
its precious light to beam upon them that sit in darkness. I 
hope and pray that you may be abundantly prepared for this 
great and good work, and take hold of the promise that ‘ they 
who water shall themselves be watered.’ We do know that 
God can bless and make you happy, even in a furnace 
seven times heated. Dear children, may the Lord be your 
God, and it is enough! 

“ I must leave room for your father and S. to add a few 
lines, though they thought my writing was the drawing a 
bow at a venture; but I thought it might be directed aright 
by Him who directed the arrow to strike between the joints of 
the harness. 

“ Your ever affectionate 

“ Mother.” 

“ It is pleasant to find even a little corner on which to say a 
word to those whom we love, and to whom our thoughts have 
so often fled across the wide ocean. I trust we shall remain a 
happy family, and enjoy the feeling of oneness, notwithstand¬ 
ing our dispersion to different homes and different climes for a 
few rapid years. 


130 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ Be assured you have friends who will never forget you at 
the throne where remembrance is most to be valued. 

“ Our spiritual state as a church remains low, yet inquirers 
about the far-removed children are numerous; I trust some of 
them inquire of the Lord for you. 

“ In haste, your affectionate 

“ Father.” 


CONSTANTINOPLE. — ASPECTS OP 
THE MISSION. 


BOARDING AT MR. GOODELL’S-MR. HAMLIN ENGINEER TO A BANKER - 

REFINEMENT OF THE ARMENIANS-STUDY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES. 

Constantinople, the city of the Sultan, and the me¬ 
tropolis of Turkey, was founded by a Greek colony, 
about six hundred and fifty years before the Christian 
era. Its ancient name was Byzantium, from Byzas, 
the governor of the colony. In 330 a. d., Constantine, 
the first Christian emperor, made it the capital of his 
dominions, consecrating it in the name of the blessed 
Trinity, and calling it after himself. The rival of Rome, 
it finally grew to be the head of the Eastern empire. 
Afterwards it became the patriarchal see of the Greek 
church, as it is now the central point of the Ottoman 
^ power. 

It is delightfully situated, on a promontory at the 
confluence of the Bosphorus with the Marmora, or, as 
its nafne signifies, Sea of Marble, — so called from one 
of its islands containing a great quantity of marble. An 
arm of the Bosphorus, called the Golden Horn, separ¬ 
ates the city proper from its large suburbs on the north, 
winding around and terminating in the charming 
Valley of Sweet Waters. It forms a harbor deep and 
capacious enough to receive the fleets of the world, and 
receives its name from the wealth which floats on its 
bosom. 

The wall from the Golden Horn to the Marmora, 


132 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


originally built by the Byzantines, and rebuilt by the 
Emperor Theodosius, is still standing. It is a triple 
wall, the inner one being from forty to fifty feet high, 
and from thirty to forty thick, with an immense num¬ 
ber of lofty towers. Some of these towers are so com¬ 
pletely covered with ivy that not a stone is seen, and 
the appearance is that of a large tower of glossy green 
leaves. Trees sometimes grow out of the sides of the 
wall, and attain a considerable size. 

As you approach the city by water, the numerous 
mosques, with their slender and graceful minarets, and 
the glittering domes and magnificent palaces and seragl¬ 
ios which crown the summits, or are laved by the 
waters of the Bosphorus, make it seem the queen of 
cities. It is, however, “distance” that lends the 
“enchantment,” for on entering the city the illusion 
vanishes. A population of nearly a million, made up 
chiefly of Mohammedans, Greeks, Armenians and Jews, 
intermingled with some from every tribe of earth, is 
crowded within its walls. 

Passing through its narrow, crooked and filthy streets, 
with often only a line of blue sky over your head, you 
are jostled hither and thither by an ever-pressing 
throng, as diverse in language, costume and color, as, 
from their extreme filthiness, some of them are dis¬ 
agreeable. 

This oriental city was to be Mrs. Hamlin’s future 
home. What a contrast to her beautiful and quiet 
native valley! 


TO HER FRIEND M. 

“Constantinople, Eeb. 7th, 1839. 

“ Dear M.: I am in Constantinople. Having crossed the 
Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the Archipelago, and the Sea of 
Marmora, we have reached this far-off city of the East. But 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


133 


I can look back to you, and, after a moment’s flight, I am there, 
and enjoy everything as if it were really passing before me. 
Sometimes it is pleasure stretched almost to pain. 

“ I often thought of you when we were sailing upon the great 
deep, and we read your extract-book and talked of you. That 
is a precious gathering together of choice things, and I read and 
remember you in every line. How much you would have 
enjoyed, had you been with us! There is beauty and sublimity 
in the deep, but a life at sea is not all poetry, as you will find 
if you ever enter upon it. Sometimes the waves were like 
mountains piled about us ; and again, a smooth, unbroken sur¬ 
face reflected the light with painful brightness. All sky and 
ocean soon become a wearying sight. How the tired voyager 
longs for something that the eye can rest upon, till it becomes 
a sickness of the heart! I was verily happy when we had 
gained the Straits of Gibraltar, and I could look from Europe 
to Africa and from Africa to Europe. I thought how you 
would enjoy the inspiration of the place. I found enough to 
delight me among the beautiful islands of the Mediterranean. 
I often wished you were by to look with us and repeat poetry. 

“ At Smyrna we passed two weeks very pleasantly, visiting 
the missionary families, and looking at the wonders of the 
place. You will see them all when you come here. The old 
brown castle on the brow of the hill, the ancient amphitheatre, 
the river M<fias, by which Homer is said to have written his 
poems, &c. &c. I think your friend would find Mr. Adger a 
very pleasant associate, and that you would both be happy 
there. There is a delightful circle of missionaries at Smyrna. 
This is one side of the picture. If you could look into the 
dark and dirty streets, crowded with wretched beings, you 
would see the other side; and, if your missionary zeal should 
survive one such look, I am sure it would be proved genuine. 
If we were to form an idea of Smyrna, or of this place even, 
by what we see in the streets, it would 'be dismal indeed. 
The streets are only narrow foot-paths, imperfectly paved with 
stones of every form and size ; and the multitudes who throng 
them are from every nation under heaven, each speaking his 
12 


134 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


own language, and wearing the costume of his own country. 
Most of them are of such wretched appearance that it gives 
the impression of a street full of beggars. 

“ It is only by visiting the more respectable at their houses 
that you see anything of Eastern splendor and magnificence. 

“ The Armenian ladies have a courtly ease and grace of man¬ 
ners, but are entirely without education. Not one in a thou¬ 
sand can read. I wish you were already here, learning their 
language, and preparing, for intercourse with them. No Frank 
lady has yet learned the Armenian. It is very difficult, and 
must be learned without the help of grammar or dictionary. 
Do you think I am discouraged ? It is not time yet. I have 
only learned my letters, and am now reading in short syllables. 
Such choking sounds you never heard. 

“ But I have told you nothing about Constantinople, the city 
of domes and minarets, the most magnificent city in the world. 
My window looks out upon the Bosphorus. Close by the 
nearer shore a Turkish fleet is lying at anchor. The little 
boats are darting about in every direction, making a very ani¬ 
mating scene. Beyond is a vast extent of city. Everywhere 
is city. It is a world of city. Away in the distance is one 
blue mountain, lovelier far than all the rest. I have not asked 
its name. I only wish it was nearer, and higher, and not all 
alone. There is a familiar home-association with it. 

“ How sad I felt not to see you at Boston! The loss can 
never be made up to me. How many times was it sounding 
through my ears as I lay in my berth, ‘ I shall never see M. 
again. 0, could I have seen her but for one hour! * ” 

** Constantinople, Feb. 10th, 1839. 

“ My dear Sister S.: There is not an hour passes but I 
am reminded of some one of your little circle. 1 open a 
drawer, and see the work that your hands have wrought with 
so much patient diligence. In another place I find the provi¬ 
sions which mother has made for my comfort, and on the shelf 
just before me is father’s gift. Dear little Willie, Jane and 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


135 


Ephraim, too, I always remember in connection with the home- 
picture. Dear children ! I hope they are happy every day, 
and increasing in knowledge and goodness. And I hope they 
think a great deal about that world where the good are ai last 
to meet and be forever happy. 

“ February 11. — This is our first Sabbath in Constantinople, 
and a very quiet and pleasant one has it been. We attended 
service in a room of Mr. Goodell’s house, which has been fitted 
up for the purpose. Mr. Goodell preached a sermon on prayer 
in the morning, the service commencing at eleven. In the 
afternoon we had a Bible-class exercise. At the morning ser¬ 
vice were present Mr. Schauffler’s family, Mr. Brown the 
American consul, and a few English and German families. It 
was not much like going to church in America; still, I have 
enjoyed this Sabbath very much, and I hope it has been profit¬ 
able to me. 

“We are at present boarders in Mr. Goodell’s family, one 
of the very best in the world. Our study is a pleasant room, 
looking out upon the Bosphorus and the great city of Constan¬ 
tinople. We.shall commence housekeeping as soon as a house 
can be found for us, and I can pick up Greek enough to use 
with servants. You see there is a prospect of my having 
enough to do, — a desirable thing in this world, where too 
much thinking is bad for us. 

“We find cold, snowy weather, and high, open rooms, so 
that we sit in the cold from morning till night. This is rather 
hard for me, but I shall get used to it after a while. 

“ February 12. — This is a choice circle of missionaries, — I 
shall love them all as dear brethren and sisters. 

“ Mr. Goodell has just sent up for us to come down and 
exercise in the children’s play-room, as the weather is not 
suitable for going out of doors. 

“ Monday eve. — We had a fine turn below, with various plays. 
There is no danger that we can neglect exercise. It is enjoined 
upon us, and we must take it; there is no escape .” 

In reference to the necessity for this kind of exercise, 


136 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Mr. Goodell, the genial and beloved pater-familias of the 
mission, makes the following remarks: 

“ It may seem strange to those not acquainted with the cir¬ 
cumstances that missionaries should ever engage in such plays. 
Now, the missionaries have families, and their families are 
more dependent upon them than any one in this country can 
well imagine. For instance, in the early history of the mis¬ 
sion to Turkey, the children of the mission families had no 
means of learning, unless their parents taught them. They 
could not take a walk, unless their parents walked with them ; 
they could not go out of door for any exercise, unless their 
parents went out with them; nor was it safe or proper for them 
to go down and stand one minute at the door, unless their 
parents went down and stood with them. Their parents were 
their only companions, — their playmates, their teachers, their 
everything. Often there was not even a yard for their child¬ 
ren to play in; and, had there been, still it could not be used 
in the winter months, on account of the very damp weather. 
All their exercise had frequently, and especially in time of 
plague, to be taken within doors; and their parents had to 
resort to all sorts of expedients to preserve the health of their 
children, teaching them different exercises; and, for their 
encouragement, as well as for their own health, often joining 
with them in these innocent pastimes.” 

Mr. Hamlin writes: 

“ The moral aspects of the Armenian community are varied 
and contradictory, but on the whole very encouraging. They 
are calling for books of science and general information, 
and they say that if we would print them a few such books, 
our religious books would be twice as much read. 

“I visited last week one of the wealthiest bankers and most 
influential men among the Armenians. He lives up the Bos¬ 
phorus about three miles, and is making a paradise of gardens 
about his house. I went to act as engineer in setting up a 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


137 


splendid patent rotary pump, which he has just received from 
New York. It makes a beautiful ornament for his front-yard, 
and will enable him to water his grounds finely. Messrs. 
Goodell and Homes acted as interpreters. He is friendly to 
the mission, and, by showing him such favors, we hope to 
secure his influence for the truth. The few Armenians I have 
met with are intelligent men, and accomplished gentlemen in 
their personal bearing. 

“ Henrietta has commenced the language with me, and takes 
hold of it very successfully.” 

The banker above referred to, by his friendliness to 
the missionaries, and his advocacy of evangelical senti¬ 
ments, rendered himself highly obnoxious to their ene¬ 
mies. At one time, by the command of the Patriarch, 
he was immured in a mad-house, from which he was 
released, after several days’ confinement as a lunatic, 
on the pledge of a large donation to the new Armenian 
college at Scutari. 

A little later Mr. H. says: 

“ The Armenians are far more refined and cultivated than I 
expected to find them. In the externals of politeness, we are 
certainly behind them. There is an ease, grace and dignity, 
which we do not find in America. Great attention is paid to 
the manners of the children. When you enter a house where 
you are known, the children come forward, take your hand and 
kiss it, and then retire to the lower end of the divan, unless 
you call them to you. I have seen nothing like rude behavior 
among them; and their appearance has surprised and inter¬ 
ested me more than anything with which I have yet met. It 
is an interesting fact that the most popular book which this 
mission has published for the Armenians is Mr. Dwight’s 
‘ Parents’ Guide,’ which he wrote expressly for them. It has 
sold rapidly, and been universally liked by Armenian patents.’ 

12 * 


138 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


TO HER SISTER, MRS. M. 

“ March, \.th .— I am now exceedingly pressed with busi 
ness, having on hand two languages, and the preparations for 
housekeeping over and above, together with ten thousand in¬ 
terruptions of almost every kind. I could wish that we were 
even now in a house of our own. I should have more care, 
but I should be more the mistress of my own time, so that it 
would be worth a great deal more to me for studying, writing, 
thinking, &c. 

“ I have no thought of getting things very pleasant about 
me, the best I can do. The floors of our houses are all 
un pa in ted, and of very rough work, so that you can lay your 
whole finger in the cracks between the boards; and they 
must be without carpets through the summer, both on account 
of the plague and because of the fleas. But these are little 
things, and I will not let them trouble me. I shall get used 
to them after a while. I did not mean the fleas when I said 
little things. They are by no means so. They have already 
become a very serious item in my experience. I am writing 
with hands scarred over like a warrior’s. These are not 
unmentionable insects here, as in other countries. The ambas¬ 
sador is annoyed like as his slave, and I am told that they do 
not respect the person even of the Grand Seignior himself. But 
I have more important things to write of, and should not be 
filling up my letter thus. 

“ Monday afternoon .—I have just come up from the meeting 
of the monthly concert, which was holden at twelve o’clock in 
the sitting-room below. It was a very pleasing and interest¬ 
ing meeting. Letters were read from Mr. Temple and Mr. 
Adger, of Smyrna, in which they speak of the late movement 
of the Armenians as something to rejoice, rather than discour¬ 
age, our hearts. You will no doubt have heard, before this 
reaches you, of the banishment of Hohannes and Boghos. It 
has taken place under such circumstances that there is gieat 
reason to hope it will be for the furtherance of the gospel 
among this people. We sympathize most deeply with those of 
them who love the truth, and who are living in constant expecta- 


M 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 139 

tion of persecution on this account. I had become very much 
interested in our teacher, the brother of Hohannes. He steals 
a visit occasionally to tell us how glad he would be to come 
and teach us again. 

“We have now a very good teacher in the ancient Arme¬ 
nian, who can come to us because he enjoys the Russian pro¬ 
tection. 1 find the language difficult, but have some hope that 
I shall succeed in acquiring it, after much patient study. The 
grammar of the ancient language very much resembles the 
Latin, but is more complicated. 

“ I am constantly seeing something that reminds me of your 
last precious visit at home. The other day I took my Thibet 
handkerchief from the drawer to put on. It was the first time 
it had been unfolded since your hands made and folded it. 
What a cloud of remembrances such things bring over us ! 1 

love to give myself up to them sometimes. But I am happy 
here.” 

“ March hth. — My dear Brothers : I have sat down to 
thank you for your letters, which we received last week. I 
believed not for joy until I saw the well-known handwriting 
on the outside of each. They had told me, ‘ Don’t begin 
to expect too soon. Those who come out always do, and are 
always disappointed. Your friends will not write till they 
have heard from you, and that may not be for six or eight 
months yet.’ I kept hearing the same story on every side, till I 
began to think it must be so, and this made the arrival of your 
letters so much the more of a joyful surprise. I cannot tell 
you how I rejoiced; but I wept too to read of sister M.’s 
declining health. It seemed too much for me to bear. 

“ I should like to write particularly of what has been taking 
place here for two weeks past. The account will perhaps ap¬ 
pear in public print before this reaches you.” 

Soon after, Mr. Hamlin writes : 

“ We enjoy excellent health, but the climate is very different 
from what I expected. The thermometer gives no indication 


140 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


of its peculiar characteristics. You look at that, and think it 
can’t be cold enough to need much fire ; and yet you put on 
very warm clothing and make up a good fire. A breeze comes 
from the Black Sea, with a dead chilliness which stops the cir¬ 
culation, and the houses are so badly built that the air finds its 
way directly to you. The Russians come down from their 
cold climate, and put on warmer winter clothing than they 
wear at home. 

“ Mr. Goodell and Mr. Schaufller wear a winter gown, com¬ 
pletely lined with fur, sleeves and all. It is now time for the 
cold weather to be entirely gone, but we have clouds, rain and 
chilly winds, almost every day. 

“ I have been at work nearly all day, helping Mr. Cham¬ 
berlain, an American traveller, prepare Morse’s Electro-mag¬ 
netic telegraph for an exhibition to a party of gentlemen 
to-morrow evening. He thinks of inviting the Sultan’s prime 
minister. 

“ Our studies are, for a time, interrupted in modern Arme¬ 
nian. Our teacher would probably be bastinadoed or banished 
should he visit us now; but he comes once in a while, by 
stealth, and tells us that as soon as the storm is passed away, 
so that he can see the sky again, he will come back. Henri¬ 
etta is much interested in him. She hardly expected to find 
such in our parish.” 


SKETCH OF THE M1SSION. — F IRST 
HOUS E-K E EPI NG. 


THRILLING INCIDENT—PERSECUTION — MOHAMMEDANISM AND INFIDELITY 
-HOPEFUL APPEARANCES — DESCRIPTION OF HOUSE, AND DOMESTIC CON¬ 
TRIVANCES -TRIALS OF MISSIONARY' LIFE-TURKISH IMPOSITIONS. 


“ I saw her upon nearer view, 

A spirit, yet a woman too ! 

Her household motions light and free. 

And steps of virgin liberty ; 

The reason firm, the temperate will, 

Endurance, foresight, strength and skill.” 

Wordsworth. 


The mission to Constantinople was commenced by 
Rev. Mr. Goodell, in 1831. Schools were established 
among the Greeks and the Turks. But the Armenians 
were soon found to present the most hopeful field of 
labor. They were not only the most wealthy and 
intelligent inhabitants of the city, but were also much 
more susceptible of religious instruction. 

The prospects of the mission among them, on Mr. 
Hamlin’s arrival, were quite cheering. But soon clouds 
began to gather in their sky, portending a fearful 
tempest. Many were the forces arrayed against this 
devoted band. To the two hundred thousand Arme¬ 
nians of the city, whose patriarch, bishops and priests, 
were their sworn enemies, were joined the adherents 
of the Greek Church. Still more implacable were the 
Roman Catholic Armenians, numbering about fifteen 
thousand, who were fully sustained by the resources 
and influence of Romanists throughout Europe. To 


142 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


this formidable array were added the Jews, who cor¬ 
dially hated the Protestants. Various were the means 
resorted to by these unscrupulous foes in order to crush 
the new heresy. A missionary tract, attacking Mo¬ 
hammedanism, written probably by Henry Martyn, and 
published at Calcutta years before, was exhibited to the 
Sultan, as a specimen of what the Protestants were 
doing. Under these circumstances, Mr. Hamlin says : 

“ Should the Sultan attempt to send us away, I think we 
shall contest every inch of the ground, until he arrests us by 
physical force. It is a subject of constant gratitude that this 
mission has, from the first, exercised so much caution in all its 
publications, that Mohammedans can find in them not a single 
attack upon their religion, and the Armenians nothing against 
theirs. They contain exhibitions of gospel truth, but are in no 
instance thrown into the form of an attack upon these oriental 
religions. This has perplexed the persecuting party exceed- 
; ngly. Indeed, when the Armenian Patriarch excommunicated 
the books, he made the singular confession that he ‘ could find 
nothing had in them now , but that thirty years hence, if not 
suppressed, they would result in forming a new sect! ’ ” 

Painfully exciting were the scenes in which our 
retiring friend now mingled. From her quiet valley 
she had put out upon a stormy sea. But her eye was 
fixed upon Him who sitteth in the heavens, and her con¬ 
fidence never failed. 

One evening, at her favorite sunset hour, she sat with 
Mr. Hamlin by their window, looking down upon the 
Golden Horn, whose clear waters were gilded by the 
last beams of day. Suddenly their door was burst open, 
and a man, rushing in, in breathless haste, throws 
down a heavy bundle, exclaiming, “ This is of God, 
Mr. Hamlin! ” “ What ? ” cried Mr. Hamlin, in 

astonishment; “ the bundle ? ” “ No; our escape with 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


143 


it is of God.” He then related that Hohannes had been 
cast into prison; a decree of banishment secured 
against him; and that his correspondence with evan¬ 
gelical Armenians was contained in that bundle, and 
had just been committed to him for safe-keeping, when 
the constables of the Patriarch came in pursuit of them. 
Effecting his escape unnoticed, he fled to the house of 
a friend in a distant quarter of the city. Soon the con¬ 
stables were on his track, but a second time he suc¬ 
ceeded in escaping; nor did he look behind, till, enter¬ 
ing Mr. Goodell’s house, he threw down his bundle. 
This was, indeed, “of God; ” for, had these papers been 
seized, upon^many unsuspecting families would have 
been poured out the Patriarch’s wrath. 

Never, probably, before, had Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin 
so deeply realized the bitter trials of the primitive 
Christians. And when they bowed in prayer that 
night, it was with a new feeling of their dependence 
upon God. 

A petition was sent to Lord Ponsonby, then English 
ambassador, soliciting his mediation in behalf of the 
exiled and the persecuted; to which, in sad contrast 
with the subsequent noble course of Sir Stratford Can¬ 
ning and Lord Cowley, he returned a cold and decided 
negative. 

The death of Sultan Mahmoud, and the consequent 
changes in government, together with the interference 
of foreign powers in arranging the long-existing diffi¬ 
culties between the Sublime Porte and the Pasha of 
Egypt, for a time divided the attention of the persecut¬ 
ors. But, notwithstanding this partial respite, those 
among the Armenians who were friendly to the mis¬ 
sionaries still feared to visit them, or even to salute them 
in the streets, lest they should be anathematized, and 
thus cut off from all means of obtaining a living. 


144 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


In God’s own time He restrained the wrath of man. 
In 1840, all those who had been banished were recalled. 
The old Patriarch, who was friendly to the mission, 
and had therefore been displaced, was restored on 
account of the unpopularity of his successor. Soon 
after his reinduction, an evangelical priest called to see 
him. In the course of the conversation, the Patriarch 
remarked, “ I know those missionaries are good men, 
and wish to do good to our nation; and one proof I 
have of it is, that when we persecuted them, breaking 
up their schools and excommunicating their books, they 
neither reviled us nor said anything against our 
nation.” 

“ Political changes (writes Mr. Hamlin) are constantly 
agitating this empire. Europe has now laid her hand so 
strongly upon Turkish politics that she will probably never 
withdraw it. Mohammedanism hastens to destruction. It is 
rushing in mad career down the precipice which divine Provi¬ 
dence has placed before it; and I trust some of us will 
live to rejoice in the utter subversion of the false prophet’s 
cruel dominion. Every politician feels that the whole Eastern 
world is on the eve of great events. May they be of such a 
nature as to lead the nations to exclaim, 1 The Lord God om¬ 
nipotent reigneth ! ’ 

“ Infidelity, rank and glaring infidelity, is rapidly bursting 
the bonds of superstition. There are many of the Greeks 
and Armenians who are, as it were, driven into it by the 
absurd and crafty forms of their church. They thirst for 
something which they cannot find. Such minds we hope to gain 
to the truth; but what we do must be done quickly. Let the 
whole church of Christ, in every land, be united in prayer and 
self-denying efforts for the world’s conversion, and very soon 
we should have the Holy Spirit working with us, and in all 
places making the truth of God powerful to the salvation of 
the soul.” * 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


145 


But, notwithstanding these cheering tokens, many 
and mighty obstacles were still in the way. 

“ They have enough of truth (says Mr. Hamlin) to make 
them feel sure of heaven; they have enough of error to 
sink them surely to hell. And Satan with such anxious 
craft has walled round and round all the avenues to the 
conscience, and against each pointed truth has so placed a 
shield to turn it from the heart, that nothing but strong faith 
in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit can sustain the 
preacher’s heart against discouragement. It is far easier to 
convince the heathen of the truth of the gospel, than those 
who imagine themselves to be its only true possessors and 
interpreters that they are in a fatal error. 

“ If there is such a thing in the divine government as retrib¬ 
utive justice towards nations, as there is towards individuals, 
the cup which Mohammedanism must drink is filling up with 
fearful vengeance. Insurrections and rebellions are numer¬ 
ous ; and, if they were only well preconcerted and simultane¬ 
ous, the present Christian population of the empire would very 
soon blot out the name of the Turk from under heaven. 

“ England has taken the Druse population of Mount Leba¬ 
non and vicinity under her patronage, as France has the 
Maronite. The English are urging our missionary brethren 
to multiply their schools and books, and one individual is said 
to have pledged them twenty thousand dollars for these 
purposes.” 

Letter from her mother : 

“ Dorset, May 27th, 1839. 

“ Dear, dear Henrietta: How did my heart leap for joy to 
hear from you, — that you were among the living and on the 
land ! O, how good it was to hear that your wearisome toss¬ 
ings upon the rolling waves were ended ! How good has God 
been to us! May we never forget to make mention of his 
name, nor cease to think of his loving-kindness ! 

“ You cannot think how much I endured after hearing of 

13 


146 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


the terrible storm and hurricane at Liverpool. For a fortnight 
I felt that it might be you had met the drowning mariner’s 
terrific death, and were buried in the depths of the sea. I 
never had such a sense of the privilege of going to God with 
our requests as I have had since you left us. 

“ Friday night, the 21st of December, I dreamed that you 
came into the kitchen, and sat down and spake not a word. 
There was such a solemnity on your countenance I dared not 
speak to you. I gazed on you a while, and not a word was 
spoken. The silence was awful. I was much affected when 
I awoke. O, thought I, perhaps her tongue is silent, and her 
face solemn in death. I shall never forget your countenance 
as I saw it in my dream. 

“ Thursday morning, Jan. 3d, my thoughts, when I awoke, 
were on you. I felt as if you were cut off from all worldly 
enjoyment, — that God only could console and guide you. I 
thought of Noah’s dove, which, when she could find no rest 
for the sole of her foot, flew to the ark. 0, what a blessing to 
have God for our friend ! How precious should be the Sav¬ 
iour to our hearts, — how much to be prized the ark of safety 
which he has prepared ! 

“ I never shall forget the Monday evening you embarked. 
I attended the monthly concert. * * * When I came out 

of the house, it was about nine o’clock ; the moon shone with 
unusual splendor, the sky was the most beautiful and un¬ 
clouded azure, and the road was dry and smooth as summer. 
1 moved slowly and alone, gazing on all around me with 
solemn thoughts and feelings which I cannot describe. Never 
shall I forget the moon or the skies, the scenes around me 
and the heart-thrilling and almost overpowering thoughts 
within me. 0, I exclaimed, my dear Henrietta is now on the 
rolling waves, looking her last adieu to her native land ! 

“ On the night of the 28th of Jan. I dreamed of the moss 
terrible storm, — darkness, lightning and tempest. It seemed 
almost as if the day of judgment had come. I turned my eyes 
from the heavens, and sought to avoid the dreadful sight by 
closing the windows and sitting in darkness; but soon they 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


14 ? 

were dashed, and seemed as stubble before the .whirlwinu. 0, 
how my heart flew for you! the sea and waves roaring, and 
men’s hearts failing them for fear, and my dear Henrietta 
among the distressed number. After enduring much, I awoKe, 
and, from the state of my feelings, I thought you might be 
under some painful affliction. Sometimes dreams may be 
ominous, yet I don’t allow them to have great weight on my 
mind; but he that hath a dream may tell a dream. 

“ 0, Henrietta ! I want to write as I feel when, in the still¬ 
ness of night, I lie awake and think of you, of the mission, 
and of the powers of darkness to be contended with. I some¬ 
times feel that great and sore trials are before you, — that you 
have approached the stronghold of Satan. He watches all 
your movements, and will prepare for a dreadful contest before 
he will give up so large a part of his empire, which he has 
made strong for himself. I sometimes think it probable that 
the battle of the great day may commence near where you are. 
Then who shall be able to stand ? All that are on the Lord’s 
side. Christ is the Captain of Salvation, and Pagan, Papal 
and Mohammedan powers may all combine against his chosen 
few; you need not be afraid nor dismayed by the reason of 
this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 
You may go forth to a long and painful struggle, to a bloody 
conflict, to fall as martyrs, but the cause will not be lost, nor 
you lose your reward. ‘ They that overcome shall sit with me 
on my throne, as I have overcome and sit down with my Father 
on his throne.’ 

“ I find my mind is breaking down, as well as my body. My 
only repose is in the night watches. The dead and dark night 
brings peace and quiet, and my mind sometimes enjoys a 
feast. * ^ * 

“ I have mentioned, my dear H., that you may be assaulted 
with enemies around you. But, whether you are or not, you 
will be assaulted by those within you; and you will need the 
same watchfulness against them, and the same power to over¬ 
come and deliver you, that you would if all the hosts of the 
prince of darkness were encamped round about you. With 


148 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


inward foes subdued, you need not fear what earth and hell 
can do unto you; for the name of the Lord is a refuge, a strong 
tower, into which the righteous may flee and be safe. * * 

“ I want to tell you a little how my thoughts are sometimes 
employed in the sleepless hours of night, and what guilt and 
self-reproach I feel that no more was said or done for your 
spiritual preparation for so great an event. A missionary 
station will never give a missionary spirit. The soul must be 
prepared for the work and the trials of the station. O, thought 
I, if my dear child has gone from any other motive than that 
of love to the Saviour and the perishing heathen, how unhappy 
must she be! But, if she has forsaken all for Christ, and has 
laid down her life of earthly comfort and pleasure that lost 
souls may know the joys of salvation, it is enough; all is 
well ; she will have the presence of Christ, and the Father will 
love her, and the Comforter will abide with her; and that is 
infinitely better than all the joys that earth can give. Every¬ 
thing will bear her on to the haven of rest, and she shall safely 
reach that city that hath foundations, and her feet stand on 
Mount Zion, where the ‘ floods shall no more lift up their 
voice! ’ * * # # * 

“ Now, dear Henrietta, I will write adieu, knowing you will 
ever remember your aged and affectionate mother, who may 
never write you again, but who will never cease to think of 
you while thought remains. May God be with you! ” 

In a letter from her father, at the same time, we find 
the following caution : “ Counteract, dear daughter, a 
habit of incessant application to study. Spare yourself 
for usefulness’ sake, as well as for friends’ sake.” He 
adds, “ Pray always for all lands where souls dwell. 
Write often during the little space in which you can 
hope your epistles may be read by aged parents, ready 
to depart.” 

“ Constantinople, June 11th. 

“My dear Friends at Home : I could easily write over a 
whole page, with telling you how glad your letter made me. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


149 


It came just in the right time, and I can assure you that you 
will never send me letters which will not come when I am 
waiting for them. 

“ Mr. H. said, as he was unsealing the package, ‘ Don’t be 
disappointed tli&t there are no letters for you; they are all 
from Portland.’ But I snatched the first one I saw, saying, 
* This is my mother’s writing.’ I am very thankful to her for 
the letter, and I thank Willie for his portion of it. I have read 
it over and over many times, because his dear little hand 
wrote it. 

“ How plainly I can at this moment see all in the house and 
around it! Everything has a precious and familiar appear¬ 
ance, which no other place can have to me. How often I see 
S. walk into the garden, and bend over the flower-beds as she 
passes up and down, looking on either side to see if this and 
that flower are doing well. And I love to think that she will 
see some flowers blooming there which my hand planted, when 
I was the companion of her walks. 

“ But I must leave room to tell you that we are comfortably 
settled in our own hired house. When I say comfortably, I 
of course speak comparatively, in reference to what we might 
expect as missionaries. We experience fewer privations and 
inconveniences than we could have anticipated. I often think, 
it is true, when we sit down to our table, how I should like 
such dishes as they are having at home. Not that we are des¬ 
titute of good and wholesome food, but I have not yet learned 
to like the dishes of this country so well as those I have been 
accustomed to. 

“ You will soon see in the Herald a detailed account of what 
has been taking place here among the Armenians. The change 
is very great, showing that the truth has taken root. We are 
surprised that, notwithstanding the violent measures of the 
Patriarch, his people still come to us. There are at present 
several young men who wish to live with us, and learn Eng¬ 
lish and teach us Armenian ; yet all learning of French and 
English has lately been forbidden by a stern decree of the 

13 * 


150 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


church, and a curse pronounced upon the man, woman or child, 
who shall know of any persons coming to our house, or speak¬ 
ing to us, without immediately informing against him. We 
have just taken an interesting young Armenian into our fam¬ 
ily, whom Mr. H. hopes to train for a translator, and for 
usefulness to his nation. 

“You are all remembered with an affection that I cannot 
express to you upon paper, even if I had ever so much of it, 
and ever so much time to write in. 

“ I should have been quite grieved if mother had forgotten to 
tell me of the flowers. 

“August 13. — I can see what a lovely afternoon this is 
with you, and how pleasant everything looks about you. I 
imagine it to be one of those delightful afternoons which remind 
us that autumn is coming, with its fruits and flowers, and its 
fine, bracing air. I shall visit you after next month, to enjoy 
those beautiful days that I have always loved so well. We 
see nothing to remind us of them here. We hardly notice the 
progress of the seasons, except as we feel the cold,— being so 
closely walled around that there is nowhere to look, and 
nothing to see but the walls that enclose us, and a little of the 
sky above. You don’t know much about such an imprisonment 
as this, having never seen, in an American city, so narrow, 
dirty and noisy a street as this in which we live. But we 
have much to be thankful for every day, and I have thus far 
experienced less of hardship, of toil and privation, than I was 
looking forward to in the missionary life. I feel that it would 
be wrong for me to complain, when my situation is so comfort¬ 
able compared with that of many missionaries who are deserv¬ 
ing of more, much more, than myself. 

“ Into whose hands the government of this empire is to fall 
is not yet known. Everybody seems to be quietly waiting for 
what is to come ; and, seeing everybody about me so quiet, I 
keep so myself. 

“ I shall expect mother to write often, whatever the rest do, 
because she is ever ready for letter-writing.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


151 


FROM HER MOTHER. 

** Dorset, Sept. 6th, 1839. 

“ Dear Henrietta : It is one year this morning since I 
heard from your lips the last sentence that will ever greet my 
ears where earthly ties are felt. How often do those words 
thrill my heart through and through ! O, could you know how 
my tears flow when I see the many mementoes you have left 
behind, and think of the unknown trials that may surround 
you, you would know that your mother remembered you with 
a stronger and tenderer affection than ever before ! But, much 
as I long to see you, do not think I wish you to return, unless 
God prepares the way and bids you enter it. 

“ If you do in any measure feel as the Saviour did when he 
left his Father’s court and all the joys of the celestial world, 
and took upon him the form of a servant, that from among the 
ignorant and the opposing he might bring many sons and daugh¬ 
ters unto glory,—if you have this holy compassion for souls, and 
this unquenchable love to God, it is enough. I can have no pain¬ 
ful forebodings, and you can have nothing to fear. Should you 
be cast into a furnace seven times heated, your Saviour would 
walk with you there, and preserve you. And should death 
make you his victim, He can put joy and gladness into your 
heart, and a song of victory into your mouth. 

“ I had been longing with unquenchable desire to hear from 
you before I received your letter by the last mail. 

“We had taken a great deal of pleasure in thinking how 
much comfort you would have in our letters; but when you told 
us the sad story, our disappointment and grief were almost 
equal to yours, and we could hardly forbear weeping for you. 

“ S. and his family were here in July. The old hive was 
rather full, and somewhat noisy for a little while, but it was 
pleasant. You know there are no roses without thorns, but it 
does not spoil them. 

“ We all thank you a thousand times for writing so often. 
Do continue to make glad our hearts. W. lives in hopes he 
shall again see you. Jane would hardly care what event 
brought you to America, if you would only come. 


152 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ That the word of God may ever abide in you, and the 
teachings of the Holy Spirit fill you with consolation, that you 
may have that hope which shall be as an anchor to your soul, 

the prayer of 

“Your affectionate and sympathizing 

“ Mother. 

“ Dear child, how hard to bid you adieu, when you are 
ilways in my mind ! ” 

TO HER FAMILY FRIENDS AT DORSET. 

“ Constantinople, Sept. 11, 1839. 

“ My thoughts and heart have been much with you since 
the arrival of the letters. It was almost too much excitement 
for one afternoon, and I am hardly recovered from it yet. I 
laughed and cried, and laughed and cried, till I was well-nigh 
exhausted. Then followed a sleepless night, because I was too 
happy to sleep, after having heard from you all. 

“ I am in great need of my pillows, having only a pair of 
old ones that we brought with us, and one which I have bor¬ 
rowed. With these I now make up three beds for company. 
For ourselves, we have learned to make a comforter answer 
for bolster and pillows too. Once in a while we get the privi¬ 
lege of sleeping on a pillow, but it is not often spared to us for 
more than a few days at a time. 

“I thank you for such a particular description of things. A 
picture of home is what we want in every letter. It will ever 
be the most delightful and interesting of pictures to me. 

“Nothing here is in harmony with the tastes and feelings 
that have grown in such a country as ours. There is a rude 
and semi-barbarian look to eveiything, that carries us back an 
age from the advancement of the American world. Every¬ 
thing we see and hear gives an impression of ignorance, 
superstition and moral degradation, which disgusts as well 
as grieves us. I feel like an exile, and yet I am happy. 
My husband’s home and work are here. I would be here 
rather than anywhere else in the world. 

“ It has troubled me that I find so little time for study. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


153 


There are so many interruptions of various kinds, that I have 
not felt at all like a student since the first four weeks. We 
have had almost constant company since we commenced 
housekeeping, and you know what an interruption that is to 
everything. 

“We find the Armenians a very interesting and hopeful 
class of people; but they have suffered much, both in mind and 
morals, from the debasing slavery to which they are subjected. 
Their superiority to the Greeks is very marked. 

“ November 17. — We like Commodore Porter and his family 
very much. They have preserved their American character 
admirably, and would be fair specimens of it in any country. 
The missionary families are on very familiar terms with them, 
exchanging frequent calls and visits. 

“We need much aid from above to strengthen us for all we 
may be called to pass through. Life hath its many sorrows, as 
well as its many joys. May each, in the portion in which they 
shall be meted out to us, prepare us for that world where 
sorrowing shall cease ! 

“ Things are now quiet among the Armenians. The pros¬ 
pect is that missionary schools may be revived before long.” 

TO HER BROTHER, MR. B. 

“ Nonember 19. — I wish you would all come in and make 
me a call this afternoon in my little sitting-room, and see how 
nice and comfortable everything looks. There is a carpet on 
the floor now, which covers up the broad cracks; and a little 
fire in my pleasant Franklin stove keeps me quite warm,— for 
the weather has not yet become very cold. I should ask you 
to sit down on the sofa, because there is but one chair in the 
room, besides the one in which I am sitting. Nor do I need 
more, for my sofa reaches across the whole of one side of the 
room, and is long enough to seat several such families as 
yours. It is, to be sure, not so very soft, being filled with 
straw; but it makes a comfortable seat, and looks well enough, 
with its calico covering. I should invite you to stop to tea, 
for I have two squash pies in the cupboard, which I made yes- 


154 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


terday, so that I am quite prepared for company. The bread 
I fear you would not find so good as you have been accustomed 
to, it being both black and sour, having, besides, a sort of 
unwholesome taste that I cannot describe to you. The butter, 
too, is perhaps worse than what you have ever eaten upon 
your bread. But you would not mind these things much, so 
long as you were taking tea with me. Our living is, on the 
whole, better than we expected, because we do have some but¬ 
ter, some milk, and potatoes, such as they are. 

“ I wish you could look in and see my home as perfectly as 
1 can yours. I have no pleasant views from my windows. 
Whichever way I look, walls are close upon me, and so high 
that I can only get a peep at the sky above them. Then there 
is constant noise and much dust, both of which are no small 
annoyances. It is very hard to be so shut away from all that 
is beautiful in this pleasant world. I feel a pining restlessness 
at times; but I drop my curtains, and keep my thoughts within, 
or send them to a distance as much as I can. 

“ I am glad you sometimes sing and play the flute for me. 
You can’t think what a longing I have to hear you sing ‘ The 
Landing of the Pilgrims ’ once more. I was rejoiced to hear 
such an account of the flowers. 

“ How I shall feel to be unpacking the things put up by your 
hands in that far-distant land! It will bring you all up before 
me almost like the actual presence.” 

FROM HER MOTHER. 

“ Dorset, Dec. 25, 1839. 

“ It is safe trusting an Almighty arm, and serving a right¬ 
eous God, whose treasures are infinite. What a precious con¬ 
sideration that God has ordained that blessings shall spring 
from crosses! Had it not been for that, on the 3d of December 
my heart would have broken. A whole year had passed since 
you left ycur native shores, and embarked on the tempestuous 
ocean for a strange land, — a land where even yourself seemed 
not the same. Nothing but the Bible and its Divine Author 
remained unchanged, and that, I trust, was our consolation. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


155 


We had on that anniversary a beautiful day and a bright sun ; 
but the commencement of a separation on that memorable day, 
that would continue till days and suns should be no more, 
filled me with gloom, which bright days and suns could not 
drive away. But the Bible has healing for all our sorrows, — 
a balm for every wound. Who, but those possessing the spirit 
of the great adversary, could withhold it from the lost and 
wretched children of this world of sorrows ? O, may you be 
the means of bringing many to this fountain of living waters ! 
Surely, we should willingly suffer the loss of all things, if 
thereby we can make souls rich. 

“ To-day has been the concert of the world. It is a sweet 
thought that the children of the kingdom have risen up before 
the throne. It seemed something like the time when Judah 
gathered together to bring back the king.” 

In a letter to Mrs. Jackson, Mr. Hamlin gives a 
description of the house they occupied, a part of which 
follows : 

“ Our house is built of stone, with thick walls, and iron 
shutters to each window. The roof is covered, perhaps two 
inches thick, with lime, mortar and gravel, and then with two 
layers of earthen tile, so that the great terror of this city — Jive 
— we are defended against. We are shut in by houses on 
every side, so close to us that the light from their windows in 
the evening is sometimes nearly sufficient to read by at ours. 
In all the houses of this great city the lower story is never used 
to live in, and is generally waste room, excepting a kitchen, a 
wash-room and an eating-room. One reason why the lower 
story is so little used is that in former times it was not safe, 
as a man could be easily shot through his own windows. 

“ The finishing of our house you would think sufficiently 
rough, should you examine it. The floors have cracks between 
all the boards, varying from one-half to three-fourths of an 
inch. Henrietta has often dropped her shears, keys, &c., 
through the cracks. At first I made a hook to hook them up 


156 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


with, but at last I stopped the cracks. Our house has twenty- 
two windows on the front of the two upper stories, there being- 
only a stone pillar between the windows. These had all to be 
curtained to keep out our neighbors’ eyes. I have a Russian 
neighbor who could crawl into my study window from the 
opposite side of the street, and I could return his visit in the 
same way. 

“ There is no article of furniture in America which I could 
not get made here, and we can live in the same style as we do 
at home. I say can , but it would not be either economical or 
pleasant to take the pains to do so. 

“ Henrietta has contrived a good many American affairs, in 
cooking, by her own ingenuity. There is a sweet syrup found 
in great quantities in the market, made out of the raisin-pumice 
from which wine has been pressed. It is called pek-mez. H. 
boils it down to two-thirds its usual volume, and it makes 
excellent molasses. With this she makes very nice ginger¬ 
bread, which I have not seen elsewhere since I left Boston. 
We find the ginger root at the bazaars, and grate it for use. 
She has also taught the servant how to make fritters, and with 
these our molasses is a luxury. 

“ I have made a hinged-head to the barrel you sent, with a 
lock and key, and it keeps our flour safe. I have also fitted 
up a set of boxes for sugar, coffee, rice, soap, &c., so that we 
can keep everything locked up. By spending an hour a day 
in my little workshop up garret, I can provide many conve¬ 
nient things, and at the same time benefit my health. 

“ Our trials, after all, are to be found in the common cares 
of life, — in that constant, unrelaxed stretch of watchfulness and 
wisdom necessary to the economical maintenance of a family 
here. Our funds are sacred funds. All the necessaries of life 
are dear. Servants cannot be trusted, and yet, as our whole 
time must be given to study and to missionary work, neither 
of us can well bestow sufficient attention upon household affairs. 
Servants will steal. Every article of food, clothing, &c., must 
therefore be kept under lock and key, except what is given out 
for daily use. Not a little food passes through the hand of 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


157 


our servant to her dear aunt, who has in her family poverty 
and plurality in equal extremes. You cannot imagine what a 
wear and tear of patience one experiences who must live pru¬ 
dently in the midst of this crooked and perverse generation. 
The people of the country cheat each other. But the pocket 
of the missionary, though often picked, is never replenished in 
this way. Last fall, when I bought my year’s supply of char¬ 
coal, I spent nearly a week in getting it. I made a number of 
bargains, but found the conditions unfulfilled, and broke them 
off. At last I thought I had succeeded finely with a Turkish 
merchant. But now, on using the coal, I find it full of a sort 
of honey-oombJimestones, which, being picked out of the mud 
and mixed with the coal, were so covered with coal-dust that 
I cannot see them till the coal is burned. 

“ I bought a quantity of rice so cheap that some of the mis¬ 
sionaries joined with me in getting quite an amount. But the 
seller had contrived to introduce a quantity of white marble, 
pounded up so as to make the pieces of the right size.” 

Annoyances like those just related were continually 
occurring. And, in addition, were many little perplexi¬ 
ties and positive discomforts, which would easily disturb 
so sensitive a nature as Henrietta’s. 

Objection is sometimes made to the sending out of 
women as missionaries to foreign fields, on the ground 
that it is at too great an expense of life. But, apart 
from the influence of a true-hearted woman in sustain¬ 
ing her husband in his work, our missions would lose 
half their power for good by such a retention. It is 
true many go at a sacrifice of health and life. Many a 
beloved sister lies buried on heathen ground, a noble 
martyr to the cause of missions. But have not the 
churches at home some responsible connection with this 
waste of precious life ? Why are so many husbands 
left widowers, and so many children motherless, in a 
foreign land? There is a “shady side,” also, to the 
14 


158 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


missionary’s life. Alas ! that tl ose who have devoted 
themselves to such a cause should be doomed to this 
wasting away of body and soul, by the parsimony 
of the church at home ! Where is the law that imposes 
self-denial upon some, while it sanctions self-indulgence 
as the privilege of others ? Is not Christ our head, and 
are we not all equally bound to bear his cross, and to 
walk in his steps, even up the steep mount of self- 
sacrifice ? 

Are not our missionaries agents of the church, and 
laboring in the common cause? And, because they 
have made those sacrifices and encountered those dan¬ 
gers from which some of us have shrunk, shall we, 
therefore, from self-indulgence, lay upon their shoulders 
still heavier burdens 7 Because they are fighting our 
battles, shall we pursue towards them a starveling pol¬ 
icy, grudging them even a tithe of our abundance? 
We consider ourselves entitled to a pleasant home and 
a comfortable subsistence. Are they any the less 
entitled to these, for having voluntarily renounced 
country and friends to do what is equally incumbent 
upon us ? Shall we so stint them that they must be 
pressed beyond measure by the question, “ What shall 
we eat and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall 
we be clothed?” and, more than all, “what is to 
become of our precious children? ” 

Are we not bound, by our love to the dear Redeemer, 
to provide so liberally for the temporal wants of our 
noble missionaries, that, with the least possible expend¬ 
iture of health and life, they shall be able to devote 
all their energies to the great work to which they are 
consecrated ? 

In Mrs. Hamlin’s case there were some alleviating 
circumstances, yet there is no doubt that her always 
delicate health was gradually impaired by her constant 


MEMOIRS OB' MRS. HAMLIN. 


159 


anxiety to make the expenses of her family conform to 
the embarrassed finances of the Board, together with her 
subsequent cares as the head of a large household. 
Had she not been sustained by a sweet and abiding 
faith, she must sooner have sunk under the burden. 
But she moved easily in her new and difficult sphere, 
cheerfully adapting herself to all her varying circum¬ 
stances, and, in contrast with a former tendency of 
mind, always looking upon the sunny side, and believ 
ing that there is “ a silver lining to every cloud.” 


THE FI 11ST-BORN. — REMOVAL TO 
THE COUNTRY. —OPENING OF 
THE SEMINARY. 


DRESS OF MISSIONARIES - THREE MONTHS’ RESIDENCE AT ARNAOUT 

KEUY-ENTERTAINMENT OF INVALID MISSIONARIES-BEBEK-HOS¬ 
TILITY OF INHABITANTS-MRS. HAMLIN’S INTEREST IN THE SCHOOL- 

DOMESTIC CHARACTER — VALLEY OF SWEET WATERS — VALLEY OF HEAV¬ 
ENLY WATERS-SUPERSTITIONS OF ORIENTAL CHURCHES-THE SULTAN 

GOING TO THE MOSQUE-PEEP INTO DOMESTIC LIFE. 


“ Mystery ! mystery ! 

Holy and strange ; 

What a life-history, 

Fruitful of change, 

And endless of range, 

Is folded here, sweet within sweet, like a blossom ! ” 

J. C. Merrigate. 

On the 5th of December, 1839, the hearts of Mr. and 
Mrs. Hamlin were gladdened by the birth of their first 
child. Although the infant stranger, by the hand of 
her father, very soon introduced herself to her grand¬ 
mother's notice, yet that letter, with subsequent ones 
from its mother, was unfortunately never received. 
What a new fountain of tenderness and joy was thus 
opened in the heart of Mrs. Hamlin ! — a heart whose 
last beatings were true to her deep maternal affection 
and solicitude. The expression of her feelings on this 
occasion being lost, the first mention we find of the 
•ittle one is when it was about five months old : 

“ The baby grows finely, and gets a great many compli- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


161 


ments for hei beauty and intelligence. She is the liveliest 
little thing you ever saw, and full of laugh and play. 

“ My health is very good, and I have much zeal for Greek 
and Armenian. To read a difficult language is not so very 
difficult a thing; but to speak one is so, and requires much prac¬ 
tice of the ear and tongue. The Greek I speak sufficiently for 
ordinary purposes. The Armenian I speak less, because I 
have not heard it so much. 

“ I must pay more attention to dress, and to the forms and 
customs of society, than I was ever obliged to before. The 
plan upon which I purchased my wardrobe,* that of the greatest 
possible plainness,’ was erroneous.” 

On the subject to which Mrs. Hamlin here alludes 
not a few good people are under a misapprehension. 

The devoted missionary, Mrs. Sarah L. Smith, in a 
letter home, after mentioning some articles of dress to 
be procured for her, says : 

“ You have doubtless perceived, from my letters, that we 
have not come out of the world by coming to Beirut, but that 
we require, as much as ever, to be respectably dressed. In our 
chapel we are seldom without the presence of English travel¬ 
lers, and not unfrequently there are with us English noblemen. 
For two reasons, at least, I think our little company should 
appear respectable, — first, for the honor of the missionary 
cause, and secondly, for our national dignity.” 

That the personal influence of missionaries among a 
cultivated people, like the Armenians, would be unfa¬ 
vorably affected by any obvious neglect in regard to 
externals, is evident. The same glowing zeal for 
Christ, the same self-sacrificing love for the souls of 
the perishing, may lead a missionary, in one part of the 
world, to a more enlarged expenditure than would be 
necessary or befitting for one in a different state of 
14 * 


162 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


society. We consider it desirable for our ambassadors to 
foreign countries so to attend to externals as to com¬ 
mand the respect of all, and reflect honor upon our gov¬ 
ernment. In a proportionate degree will intelligent 
Christians wish to have the representatives of our 
church avoid bringing discredit upon the cause of mis¬ 
sions by any style of dress or mode of life which might 
appear mean or disreputable. There is a befitting 
attention in externals to times and circumstances, to 
places and people, to position and influence, as neces¬ 
sary on missionary ground as in the towns and cities 
of our own country. While, then, we admit that there 
may be, as among ministers’ families at home, some 
who err in this particular, yet, before we censure any 
one, let us be sure that his motive is not a regard for 
the most extended influence. 

May the day soon come when our noble and devoted 
band of missionaries will neither be restricted in their 
expenditures for preaching the gospel, nor stinted in the 
necessaries of life! 

As the lease for their house had expired, Mr. and Mrs. 
H. removed into the country, and, until a situation could 
be found suitable for their projected school, they took 
rooms temporarily in Arnaout Keuy, five miles up the 
Bosphorus. Here their rent was much cheaper than 
in the city, and here too they had an abundance of 
fresh air and fine scenery. Their rooms were in a 
spacious palace, containing forty apartments, once the 
magnificent residence of a Greek lord, the Prince of 
Wallachia, who perished in the Greek revolution. To 
one of Mrs. Hamlin’s intense love of nature, the change 
from the crowded city to this romantic country resi¬ 
dence was truly delightful. And there was much of 
peculiar interest lingering about this ancient castle. 
The parlor, with its twenty-nine windows, and its 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. R AMLIN. 


163 


massive mirrors on either side, opened into a hall 
seventy feet long, which looked out upon a beautiful 
garden. From the seat of honor in the parlor to the 
opposite end of the hall was one hundred and eight 
feet. “It is so long,” says Mrs. Hamlin, “ that it 
seems like setting out on a journey when I have occa¬ 
sion to walk the whole length of it.” 

On a moonlight evening, a land of enchantment is 
spread out before the eye. Beneath the windows are 
fairy gardens, superb kiosks and palaces, while the 
Bosphorus, like a sheet of molten silver, stretches away 
towards the Golden Horn, many a white sail dancing 
upon its glad bosom, and arrowy caiques, gliding like 
sea-birds over their moonlit way; and, ever and anon, 
fitful lights gleaming fantastically from ancient castles 
upon the Asiatic shore. The effect is heightened by a 
charming illusion, caused by the reduplication of all 
these lovely objects from the vast mirrors on either side. 
Upon this varied and beautiful scenery Mrs. Hamlin 
would gaze in silent rapture, or, walking with her com¬ 
panion through these noble rooms, she would listen for 
the echoing footfall of the past, or express her musings 
upon the fate of those who had left these once splendid 
apartments for the silent city of the dead. 

In the Armenian Catholic families residing with 
them in the same palace she felt a deep interest. One 
of the young ladies became warmly attached to her, 
and often expressed the wish that she could escape the 
folly and falsehood by which she was surrounded. 

To a missionary sister, then with her husband at 
Vienna : 

“ Arnaout Keuy, Sept. .23, 1840. 

“My dear Mrs. Schauffler: Mr. Hamlin says he has 
done telling my correspondents that I shall write by the next 
mail. 


164 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“We have been looking for a house, moving and getting 
settled. I am now very well, and enjoying the fine country 
air and scenery. It is indeed good to be here, where I can see 
so much of this pleasant world. It refreshes my spirits, and I 
feel coming back a little to my former self, when I lived among 
green fields. I had become very restless in that prison-house 
in Pera. May I never be condemned to another such period 
of close confinement! We have very pleasant rooms, which 
we have taken until Mr. Hamlin can find a house suitable for 
the school. This house accommodates four families besides 
ourselves, and yet we are not crowded, as you would see could 
you look into our spacious apartments. 

“ Mr. Hebard has been with us since several weeks before 
we left Pera. He is an excellent man, and we have enjoyed 
his long stay as a favor. His cough is still troublesome, and 
there is reason to fear that consumption has fastened upon him. 
He loves the missionary work, and seems too valuable a laborer 
to be spared from the field; but there is One who knows bet¬ 
ter than we, and who will order all things well. Mr. and Mrs. 
Powers are also with us. Mrs. P. is very feeble. She was 
brought here upon a bed, and has left it only once a few 
moments during the ten days she has been with us. We have 
invited them to remain until the opening of the school. 

“ Sultan Murad was born on the 21st, and we are having 
the rejoicings usual on such occasions. I wish the Turks 
would find out something new, for I am tired of the same 
thing over and over again. I am making out a page of items, 
but I don’t know«how much of it will be news to you. 

“ Whenever anything has occurred which I thought would 
be particularly interesting to you and your husband, I have 
hoped that some one of your correspondents would write and 
tell you, and have presumed that Mr. Goodell would. In this 
way, I have kept you informed of almost everything that has 
happened. 

“ I haVe often wished to tell you about my little Henrietta. 
1 did not know before that babies were so smart.” # * * 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN 


165 


Mr. Hebard, of the Syrian mission, of whom Mrs. 
Hamlin speaks, entered warmly into the plan of a sem¬ 
inary, giving his brethren essential aid by his expe¬ 
rience and counsels. He left them on his return for 
a season to America, but finished his course in Malta, 
where his dust now reposes. 

Mr. Hamlin had become quite impatient to open the 
long-talked-of boarding-school. He felt that in no way 
could they so permanently affect the state of society as 
by raising up a band of young men qualified to contend 
for the truth. 

Towards the close of 1840, they removed to Bebek, 
and opened the seminary. At that time there was no 
other Frank family in the village, and great excitement 
and hostility followed the commencement of this under¬ 
taking. A committee waited upon the Patriarch, 
beseeching his influence with the Turkish government 
to have these strangers expelled, accusing them of eat¬ 
ing fowls and eggs in Lent, and of teaching their schol¬ 
ars that it was no more sinful than to eat bread and 
cheese, thus exposing their whole village to the wrath 
of the Virgin. These applications, however, were 
vain. For a time their house was occasionally stoned 
in the night; but the excitement gradually passed away, 
and they were left unmolested. The school, com¬ 
menced in doubt, soon began to prosper.. 

Early in 1841, Mr. Hamlin writes: 

“ We have pleasing prospects of a flourishing school, 
although it is not two years since the study of foreign lan¬ 
guages was forbidden, except in the Armenian college, and 
anathema* were denounced upon all who should even salute 
us in the street. One of my scholars is a relative of the 
Prime Minister of Mehemet Ali. Another is from a high 


166 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


family ; and, should they become truly enlightened and con¬ 
verted, th 3y will have an extensive sphere of influence.” 

In this seminary Mrs. Hamlin ever manifested the 
deepest interest. She often expressed her conviction 
that every good influence which could thus be exerted, 
every mind that could be enlightened and educated, 
would prove a permanent blessing to the nation. The 
subsequent usefulness of some of the earliest scholars 
was a source of the highest gratification to her. 

It was at the opening of this institution that her 
sphere of duties assumed a definite aspect. Its eco¬ 
nomical supervision, although involving labors foreign 
to her literary tastes and habits, she now regarded as 
her great object in life. And, with an energy which 
never abated, and a heroic spirit of endurance, she 
entered upon her new duties, at the very outset estab¬ 
lishing a rule which involved no small self-denial. 
Although oriental dishes were distasteful to her, she at 
once decided that her own table ought to be substan¬ 
tially the same with that of the students,— a principle 
to which she uniformly adhered, except when she had 
guests to entertain. To have introduced a European 
style of living into her own family, would not only 
have involved additional expense, but might have 
proved a source of discontent in the seminary. When, 
however, friends visited her, her table was generously 
spread. 

In a letter to one who had formerly distrusted her 
qualifications for domestic duties, her husband play¬ 
fully says, “ Let me assure you that she is one of the 
most accomplished housekeepers in the world. Her 
pies, cakes, puddings, preserves, &c. &c., have excited 
the admiration of many a resident, and of many a trav¬ 
eller from many a land.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


167 


The following letter, from a missionary sister to Mrs. 
Hamlin’s eldest daughter, after her mother’s death, 
describes her free and graceful hospitality : 

“ Here I am often reminded of your precious mamma, — of 
her gentle, loving spirit, and of her devotion to her family. 
Do you remember, when I was visiting Mrs. D. at Pera, and 
your mamma gave me an invitation to come and see her ? But 
I was to give her notice of my coming, as she was preparing 
for the approaching annual meeting. So, sending her a line 
one morning, I went up at evening to Bebek in an araba. You 
and your sister seated me in the parlor, and took my bonnet; 
but said little Susan, ‘ Why did you come now ? We have 
just eaten up all our dinner.’ Then I understood that 1 was 
not expected that evening, and that my note had not reached 
its destination. Soon, however, your mamma made her 
appearance, and, by her cordial greeting, made me feel, not 
only that I was welcome, but that she was really gratified by 
my coming. She then slipped out, and soon after sent ifte 
little girl who said the dinner was all eaten up to call me to tea. 
I was surprised to see a table not only furnished with every 
necessary for a good dinner, but with a variety of luxuries for 
the tea-table. The servant-girl was sick, and all was prepared 
by her own hand,— the sweetmeats, tarts and cakes, of her own 
previous making. 

“ Suffice it to say, I not only had a rich repast, but the most 
delightful social intercourse that evening and the following 
day. Nothing was said about the servants being sick, about 
the unexpectedness of my visit, or the weight of care and the 
variety of things demanding her attention ; and I wondered 
how she could accomplish so much, and find so much time for 
the quiet enjoyment of a visit under such circumstances. 

“ I love to remember her exemplary conduct in all the rela¬ 
tions she sustained, and it is my prayer that you may be like 
her.” 

“ My dear Mrs. Schauffler : I was very happy to receive 
your letter. For several months I had not seen a line from 


168 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


your pen, and I was wondering what great change could have 
come over Mrs. Schauffler, that nobody should get letters from 
her. It seems that you have still better occupation than writ¬ 
ing to your friends. You may well be contented and happy to 
remain where you find such opportunities for usefulness. We 
feel disappointed that the time of your return is to be so long 
delayed. Your little ones will have quite outgrown their 
babyhood before we see them. 

“We have been very happy through the winter, and I am 
not yet tired of the country. There has been a great propor¬ 
tion of bright and sunny weather, when I have longed to look 
out upon the pleasant gardens and the green hills. We could 
then step out of doors without plunging into mud. We have 
a retired and quiet place, sufficiently rural to please the most 
romantic taste. The upper garden is handsomely cultivated. 
Miss Henrietta often takes a drive in her carriage through its 
broad walks. 

“ It is true we cannot here attend those good meetings with 
tl?£ brethren and sisters, but we have more time for study, and 
a great deal more to think, talk and read. This studying of 
languages, how it keeps us from things we should like better! ” 

TO HER FRIEND M. 

“ Bebek, Jan. 24th, 1841. 

“ My dear M.: 1 have been writing till I am tired, but I 
must write to you to-day. I have thought you a great many 
letters; and, had my hands been free to execute what my heart 
designed, almost every ship would have brought you something 
from me. 

“We have a delightful situation in a small village about an 
hour’s sail from Constantinople. The village is built upon the 
opposite sides of two hills, which meet at the bottom, opening 
out upon the Bosphorus. About half way up the side of one 
of these hills, stands our house. Before it are two terraced 
gardens, rising one above the other, so that from the first we 
look down on a wall of twenty-five or thirty feet, to a large 
outer garden, in which are fruit-trees of various kinds. The 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


169 


upper garden, which is on the same level with the house, and 
separated from it by a paved court, is very tastefully laid out, 
and highly cultivated. In one corner is a small artificial pond, 
shaded by a large fig-tree. This tree is now leafless, though 
almost everything else is green and fresh as if winter had not 
come. There is the laurel, the daphne, and the arbutus, of 
classic memory. The tree-myrtle is a most beautiful shrub, 
and I could gather you a pretty bouquet of the rose-buds that 
are opening this morning. 

“ Can you see how pleasant it is ? On three sides of us we 
look up to green hills, and down upon houses and terraced gar¬ 
dens like our own. In one direction is the Bosphorus, and the 
hills which rise beyond. These remind me of the Manchester 
mountains, as seen from my chamber-window. Here we dwell 
in all peace and quietness, having escaped ten thousand inter¬ 
ruptions to which we were exposed in the city. 

“ Mr. Hamlin has a small boarding-school while he is per¬ 
fecting himself in the languages. The Greek I read, wri^e 
and speak some. The Armenian I read and speak a little. 
The modern Greek is a beautiful and cultivated language, and 
I have much pleasure in learning it. The grammar is a little 
more simple and easy than that of the ancient language. The 
Armenian sounds worse than the German. 

“ When we were in the great house where we lived before 
coming here, we used often to speak of you. It was such a 
beautiful and romantic place that I could not help remembering 
our romantic days. It stood directly upon the waters, and 
looked up and down the Bosphorus for several miles. The 
shores before and on either side of us were lined with palaces 
of the Sultan and his pashas. And then we had such spa¬ 
cious and magnificent apartments! You may imagine the size 
of our parlor, from its having twenty-nine large windows, 
besides two of looking-glass, most of them opening upon the 
water. One day, as we were sitting there and looking out for 
enjoyment, Mr. H. said, ‘ Why do you smile ?’ ‘I was think¬ 
ing of M.’s prophecy, which she so often repeated when we 
were walking that path through the negroes’ garden at Cats- 

15 


170 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


kill. She was to be a wanderer over the world, while I was 
to be a quiet dweller among my kindred and friends.’ He 
smiled, too, at the complete reversion of the prophecy. Not 
long after, your letter came, and we were pleased to see that 
you remembered it. 

“We immediately invited several invalid missionaries to 
come and stop with us ; so that I kept hospital up to the time 
of our coming here, and had no time to write letters. 

“What shall I say of baby? You will not expect a full 
description in this last page of my letter. She is a celebrated 
beauty, and her genius has attracted great notice from people 
of all nations. She has lately had an introduction to the sister 
of the Sultan. When the Sultana saw her, she exclaimed, 
‘Mash Allah, mash Allah!’ (work of God). The servants 
were carrying her by the palace, when she saw her through the 
lattice, and asked them to stop. Her father is very proud of 
her, and it is little Nette who gets all the petting. 

The bouquet of evergreens I often look at, and am 
reminded of the walk to Deering’s oaks, of your most eloquent 
speech, and of L.’s poetry. 

“ Yours affectionately, 

“ Henrietta.” 


TO HER SISTER S. 

“ I was going to write to everybody this week, but I find 
everybody is so many people that I cannot write to them all 
in one week.” 

Having described her situation as in the letter above, 
she says: 

“ The court is paved with small, round stones, of different 
colors, fancifully arranged. From this court two large doors 
open through a high stone wall into the street which passes by 
our house. These doors are always kept locked, and any one 
who would come in must first rap for admittance. The gar¬ 
den is laid out in four squares, which are separated from each 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 171 

other by broad gravelled walks. Each of these squares is 
bordered by flowering shrubs of various kinds, and the whole 
garden has a bordering of the same kind. 

“ I was truly rejoiced to hear that father and mother are 
enjoying such comfortable health, and that you are all 
unchanged in appearance since I left. Your descriptions car¬ 
ried me back to the days when I was an inmate of the old 
mansion, and an expectant, too, looking forward with the rest 
of you to a ‘ visit from the children,’ as mother used to call it. 
These visits were among the happiest portions of my life. 

“They all wrote to me about your splendid flower-garden. I 
rejoice much in it. Send me a package of your choice seeds 
when you have an opportunity. 

“ When will you send me the drawing of our house ? I 
know you cannot find time for everything, but bear this in 
mind, and when you can take it for me.” 

FROM HER MOTHER. 

“May, 1841. 

“ I feel as if you were stationed near the place where the 
great battle would be fought between Michael and his angels, 
and the dragon and his angels, and where the mighty 
hosts of Gog and Magog will be slain to cover the face of 
the earth. They are to fall upon the mountains, and you 
will be near enough to hear the noise of the battle, and to feel 
the shaking of the earth, which will make all the nations to 
tremble. I have been thinking that that part of the world 
which you now inhabit is to be the theatre where all the great 
events relating to the kingdom of God and the redemption of 
the world are to transpire. There the first soul and body were 
formed and united; there was the memorable garden where sin, 
and fear, and sorrow, were first known ; there were the tree of 
life, and the flaming sword, and there the curse was pronounced 
upon the earth; there the voice of mercy first sounded; there 
the Saviour was born, and there he died; there he showed 
openly his triumph over death and hell, and there he ascended 
up into neaven, leaving the promise that in like manner he 


172 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


would there descend, and every eye should behold him. But 
the New World as well as the Old, and they that are far off as 
well as those that are nigh, must witness these things. May 
we be prepared, and do all we can to prepare others for this 
dreadful day ! 

“ Who knows but Constantinople will be the first converted 
city, and the Sultan the first Christian emperor of that apostate 
land, where the Holy Spirit early went forth with his life- 
giving influence ? 

“ My dear children, I need not tell you, if I could, how much 
1 love you, and how I should love to see you. But, if God has 
been pleased to take such poor, lost creatures, and give them a 
place in his house, and employ them as his servants, I should 
not only resign you to his disposal, but rejoice in his conde¬ 
scension and mercy. And dear little Henrietta too, — when I 
think about her rny heart and eyes melt. But, if the Lord will 
be the strength of her heart, and her portion forever, it is 
enough, — angels can have no more. 

“ I sit hours and think of you all, and where we shall next 
meet. How much more solemn that meeting than was our last 
parting! May it be a meeting to part no more! 

“ I had been thinking of late how often our Saviour retired 
to the Mount of Olives. * And he went, as he was wont, to the 
Mount of Olives.’ A stone from the mount he so often trod 
was exceedingly precious to me. 

“ Deacon Kent still lives, and lives near to heaven as ever. 
He says he soon expects to enjoy eternal youth.” 

“Bebek, July 12th, 1841. 

“ My dear little Willie : I am glad to hear that you make 
some progress in your Latin, and that you can already master 
some of those hard sentences in Virgil. I love to think of you 
as a good boy, — diligent in your studies, exemplary in your 
behavior, and a great comfort to grandpa and grandma, and 
aunt S. 

“ As Mr. H. told you something about the city of Constan¬ 
tinople, perhaps you would like to hear from me something of 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


173 


the country around it. There are two places in particular to 
which we often make excursions, which I should like to describe 
to you. One is called the Valley of Sweet Waters, the other 
the Valley of Heavenly Waters. 

“ In going to the Valley of Sweet Waters, you pass in a boat 
up the Golden Horn, with Galata on the right and Constanti¬ 
nople on the left. After a little time you pass the sacred 
mosque of Eyoub, where is kept the banner of the prophet 
Mohammed said to have been made of his trousers. The:e 
also, are magnificent tombs of Turkish statesmen, sages and 
priests. After passing these, the waters are narrowed into a 
beautiful creek, which winds and turns in graceful curves 
among the meadow-land, till you arrive at a lovely valley, 
sprinkled over with clumps of majestic oak or plane trees. 
Here is a palace of the Sultan, which he sometimes occupies 
for two or three weeks in the spring. Every Friday, this being 
the Turkish Sabbath, and a day of amusement, many hundreds 
of Turks, Greeks, Armenians and Europeans, visit this place, 
and sit down under the trees to smoke pipes, drink coffee, and 
talk. The Turkish women sit by themselves, and, if a gentle¬ 
man is seen approaching, they raise a great cry, ‘ Haidee, 
haidee!’ (be off, be off). But they are quite glad to have Euro¬ 
pean ladies sit down among them, that they may examine their 
dress, and ask a thousand foolish questions These Turkish 
women are ignorant, not one in five hundred being able to read 
a word. 

A favorite amusement of the children on these days is to 
throw bread into the little river which passes through the val¬ 
ley. The moment a piece of bread is thrown in, hundreds of 
small fishes fasten upon it, the number increasing every 
moment, till you can see nothing but a great black ball whirl¬ 
ing and splashing in the water. Thus these little fishes strug¬ 
gle to get at the bread, until a big tortoise, coming along, dis¬ 
perses the riot by seizing the prize. Greek musicians bring 
their flutes and harps, and fill the air with their often discord¬ 
ant music. Jewish jugglers assemble to play off their tricks, 
to the great wonder and astonishment of the Turks, who take 
15 * 


174 


MEMOIRS OE MRS. HAMLIN. 


great delight in such exhibitions. In this way the time passes 
till sun-down, when all quietly disperse. 

“ On the hills bordering this valley, the Sultan goes out, with 
the officers of his household and his body-guard, to shoot 
arrows. He always shoots with the wind, and, as the land 
falls rapidly from the summit of these hills, his arrows go a 
great ways before striking the ground. His attendants profess 
to try with all their might to shoot beyond his arrows, but are 
very careful not to succeed. If a man should have the audac¬ 
ity to shoot beyond the Sultan, he might lose his favor forever. 
His officers generally shoot against the wind, while he shoots 
with it. But they attribute all the difference to his marvellous 
skill. When he makes a great shot a pillar is erected to mark 
the spot where he stood, and where the arrow fell. There are 
many of these white columns on the hills. 

, / “The Heavenly Waters are on the Asiatic side of the Bos¬ 
phorus, about seven miles from the city. Here also are fine 
shade-trees, a fountain, a mosque, and a summer-house for the 
Sultan, who visits it almost every Friday. As it is nearly 
opposite our village, we have been there several times. The 
Sultan, with a few of his guards, goes up the valley a little, 
sits down a while in a splendid chair, which is carried out for 
him, then shoots his arrows, and comes back to his palace to 
smoke a pipe and drink coffee. When we were last there, he 
passed very near, gazed at us all intently, and then sent a man 
to inquire who we were. This was intended as a sort of com¬ 
pliment. There were perhaps twenty or thirty of us together, 
Americans and English. His step was feeble, and he looked 
pale and sickly. 

“This valley is close to a spot celebrated in history, — the 
point where Mehemet II., the conqueror of Constantinople, 
crossed from the Asiatic to the European side, to attack the 
city. The tombs of many of his warriors are there. 

“ On the top of the hill, directly opposite the window where 
I am sitting, is a small palace of the Sultan, to which he some¬ 
times comes in the heat of summer, to enjoy the fine air and 
scenery. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


175 


“ On the other side of us he has another, which stands 
directly upon the water, so that he can fish from his window. 

“ Perhaps you will think that you would like to come and 
live here. But you must get your education before you come. 
Remember that I once had hopes of your becoming a great 
mathematician. I still hope this ; but, more than all, I hope 
you will grow up to be a good man, and useful to the world. 

“ Your affectionate aunt, 

“ Henrietta.” 

to THE LADIES SEWING SOCIETY OF DORSET. 

« Bebek, July 29th, 1841. 

“My dear Friends: We have just received the barrel, 
which contained, among other things, the valuable donation 
from your society. While it is a pleasure to us to remember 
you as individuals, in connection with your several presents, 
we wish also to thank you as a society for this generous dona¬ 
tion. The various articles are such as will be useful to us and 
add to our comfort, and we value them on this account, but 
still more as coming from personal friends in my native town. 
They seem to say that you regard us as your agents, sent to 
prosecute a work in which you are interested. Your interest 
would be deepened, could you see the need there is for some 
foreign influence agaitist the ignorance and superstitions of 
these corrupt churches. 

“ You will perhaps be surprised to hear that this is a very reli¬ 
gious people. As it respects the externals of religion, they are 
as exact and punctilious as were the Jews when Christ said to 
them, ‘ Ye do strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.’ 

“ They fast twice a week ; that is, they abstain from meat, 
eggs, milk, butter, cheese and everything that can be said to 
have a particle of animal food, though it matters not how 
luxuriously they live upon articles that have no animal sub¬ 
stance intermixed. This is their fasting. A man may swear, 
lie and steal, who would be horror-struck at the thought of 
eating an egg or taking a little milk in his coffee on Wednes¬ 
day and Friday, or any other of their fast-days. Besides 


176 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


these, they have two fasts of forty days each, and one of fif¬ 
teen, in the course of the year. 

“ Every church and every house has pictures of the Virgin 
Mary and many of the saints; and before these pictures the Ro¬ 
man Catholics, Armenians and Greeks, bow themselves down 
and worship. If any one is unfortunate, he prays to the Vir¬ 
gin to intercede for him. If he is fortunate, he praises the 
Virgin, and consecrates to her some gift. 

“ The walls of many churches are hung entirely around with 
pictures, and the worshippers kiss each one, making the sign 
of the cross. 

“To omit, these external forms is regarded as a sign of 
infidelity. 

“ After confession to the priest, they receive the sacrament, 
and then believe themselves ready for heaven, notwithstanding 
the habitual practice of many vices, which they never for one 
moment think of laying aside. 

“ I might tell you many more things to show how entirely 
the religion of this people is one of mere forms and ceremo¬ 
nies. It has no power over the heart and conscience. They 
have left the commandments of God for the traditions of men ; 
and thus, with the Bible in their hands, we see very few of the 
fruits of its spiritual religion in their lives. It never seems to 
have occurred to them that the religion of the gospel is any¬ 
thing which demands holiness of life. 

“ The same delusions follow them to their death-beds. 
Instead of resorting to the great Mediator, they send for a poor, 
ignorant priest, and receive absolution of their sins from his 
hands. 

“ There was, a few years since, an interesting instance of an 
Armenian, who, of his own accord, and without any external 
influence, discovered and abandoned the errors of his church. 
He was a man of wealth, from the interior of Asia Minor. He 
had never learned any foreign language, but devoted twenty- 
five years to the study of his own, in which he wrote several 
valuable works. He seems to have had truly evangelical 
views. His first effort at reform was an attempt to abolish 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


177 


picture-worship. He succeeded in removing pictures from 
many of the churches. But his life was one of constant war¬ 
fare with those that were his enemies for the truth’s sake, and 
he was six times exiled. He took a great interest in educa¬ 
tion, and devoted several of his last years to teaching. At the 
time of his death, he had under his instruction twelve young 
men who were candidates for the priesthood. These are now 
all friends of the mission. 

“ Many, particularly among the Armenians, are beginning 
to feel that the church is degenerated, and some are waking 
to know the truth in its saving power. At Constantinople, 
Broosa, Trebizond, and some of the villages fifty miles dis¬ 
tant, there is a spirit of inquiry, which we hope will increase 
till thousands shall be brought into the fold of Christ. 

“Two of the quilts you sent are very handsome, and I 
am quite proud of showing them as from the Sewing Society 
in Dorset. They are evidence that you have not the idea that 
anything is good enough for missionaries. 

“ Your affectionate and obliged friend, 

“ H. Hamlin.” 


TO THE MISSES M., AT DORSET. 

“My dear Friends: I have just taken a quill from the 
bunch you sent me, and have sat down to write to you. Your 
present I understood as a hint, which I assure you I did not 
need. Think of me as a missionary among a people with 
whom I can have no intercourse until I have first learned to 
speak their language ; and not only one, but two or three are 
necessary. Then think of me as a housekeeper, having the 
care of a family in a country where everything is perplexingly 
new and strange. Add to this an almost constant interruption 
from the company of travellers and missionary friends, and you 
will cease to wonder that, with the care of little Henrietta, I 
do not find a great deal of time for writing letters. But it 
has been a pleasure to me to think of you, when I have not 
been able to tell you my thoughts. I often imagine myself 


178 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


sitting in your parlor, just where you used to seat me in the 
low chair before the open door, looking out to that pleasant 
grove, and over those beautiful meadows, to the high moun¬ 
tains beyond. Next to my own father’s house, there is no 
other place of which I have such a distinct recollection. The 
yards, the gardens and all the premises, — I see them now 
almost as if they were before me. When I was a child, 
your beautiful garden, with its variety of fruits and flow r ers, 
seemed almost a paradise to me, and I have never forgotten 
those impressions. I remember a very pleasant view I once 
enjoyed from the hills back of your house. I remember, too, 
the basket of strawberries that I had to carry home with me. 
It would be rather a hazardous undertaking to visit the straw¬ 
berry fields which are everywhere around us; not because I 
should be in danger of trampling the grass, for there is none, 
but because their owner would think it very proper that he 
should have the privilege of gathering his own berries. They 
are cultivated like corn and potatoes. Ten years ago, straw¬ 
berries were not known here; now there are in this village 
fields of an hundred acres, and these immense fields are dug 
over and transplanted every year, to increase the quantity of 
fruit. 

“We have, in the course of the year, a great variety of 
fruits, many of which are not found in America; but I would 
give them all for some of the good apples that grow in my 
father’s orchard. You perhaps know that we are now living 
in the country. I enjoy the open world very much, after the 
close confinement of the city. 

“ You may like a description of the manner in which the 
Sultan every week goes to the mosque for worship. On the 
last Friday, a young Jew, belonging to one of the most respect¬ 
able families in Constantinople, invited us to the house of 
his sister, to see the Sultan and his royal suite enter the mosque, 
which was close to the house. We accordingly went. The 
Jewess received us very cordially, and expressed great gratitude 
to me for teaching her little boys, who are members of our 
school. Her house was full of Jewish women and children, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


179 


principally her relations. Some of the little girls were quite 
pretty. They came from Trieste, and were therefore dressed 
in the European style. Turkish women were also present, 
but when they saw Mr. Hamlin they all went out of the house. 
Soon a singular personage appeared, who was greatly dis¬ 
turbed lest we should remove the lattices, so that European 
faces would be seen by those outside. She was the wife of a 
Turkish priest of this village, who was owner of the house. 
Contrary to the law of the Turks, he had rented it to Europe¬ 
ans, and was afraid that some of the Turks outside would see 
the faces of Franks at the windows, and in that way discover 
his crime. 

“ Soon after we arrived, a band of soldiers formed from the 
landing-place to the door of the mosque, and a splendid band 
of music was drawn up to receive the Sultan in his royal 
barge. Soon three men entered the mosque, with richly- 
gilded knapsacks on their backs. They contained the Sultan’s 
Koran, in three volumes, each volume a folio of two thousand 
pages. Other servants followed, with bundles containing the 
robes of the officiating priests, and rich rugs and cushions for 
the Sultan. Then everything waited in silent suspense. The 
heavy stroke of oars told the approach, and the band, said to 
be equal to any in Europe, struck up the Sultan’s march. A 
moment after, a splendid boat, very long and sharp, richly 
carved and gilded, and rowed by twenty-four athletic men, in 
white muslin robes, shot by the landing-place, and, making a 
most graceful turn, came partly back, and took its station a few 
rods off. A minute more and another boat followed, just like 
this, cleaving the water as by magic, and, performing the same 
admirable evolution, took its station by the side of the first. 
In a moment, the sublimest strains of music, bursting from the 
band, heralded the monarch’s approach. Every eye was 
turned towards the water; and lo ! the glittering pageant came 
rushing on with the speed of the wind. But this third boat, with 
its royal canopy and crimson curtains, was empty, and passed 
the landing-place. In its wake, however, came a fourth. An 
officer, or member of the royal household, was kneeling at the 


180 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


prow, his face turned reverently towards the stern, where the 
young Sultan sat, beneath a magnificent canopy, supported by 
gilded columns and covered with crimson cloth, inwrought 
with gold and silver flowers. Two officers sat before him, face 
to face, and one man was behind the canopy at the helm. The 
barge came to the landing-place with great precision, and two 
attendants, one at each arm, assisted him to rise. He was 
dressed in a plain cloth cloak, the collar of which was radiant 
with gems, and the clasp in front a star of diamonds. As he 
passed along, a man with a silver censer bore incense before 
him, and the soldiers presented arms; as he entered the 
mosque, the music ceased, and a shout was raised correspond 
ing to the English ‘ Long live the king! ’ He continued at 
prayers about half an hour, when he came out, mounted a 
horse whose caparisons glittered with gold and silver, and, 
with a large retinue of officers, moved off to a small summer 
palace in this village. 

“ 1 forgot to tell you that the three empty boats that pre¬ 
ceded him were for mere display. So also, when he goes tc 
the mosque on horseback, a number of the finest horses, cov¬ 
ered with gold and silver and precious stones, are led before 
him to increase the show. What would be thought of such 
going to church in our country ? 

“ All this will give you some idea of the kind of world in 
which we live. For information of what we are doing in our 
missionary work, I must refer you to other letters. Mr. Ham¬ 
lin has a flourishing school, which almost entirely occupies his 
time. Next year we are to take another house, and increase 
the school as much as the funds of the Board will allow.” 

TO HER SISTER, MRS. M. 

“ Bebek, Aug. 1, 1841. 

“ You inquire how I succeed in domestic affairs. I have 
grown very fond of housekeeping, and have a great deal more 
fame in that line than I ever had in my own country. I am 
one of the most celebrated pie-makers of the mission, and Mr. 
Goodell ‘doubts if the Sultan himself could make such cakes.’ 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


181 


The dishes of the country are generally made up of all sorts 
of things stewed together; so, if I want anything better, I must 
make it myself. I often think how highly favored is the 
woman who can devote all the time she wishes to her domes¬ 
tic affairs. But, if I were obliged to slave in the kitchen, after 
the manner of some of the ministers’ wives in New England, 
I should perhaps think differently. 

“ You ask if we ‘ have a superintendent of servants.’ I am 
the only stewardess of the establishment, and shall probably 
retain my office, without an assistant, until the. American 
Board have become much richer than they are at present. Mr. 
Hamlin is to enlarge his school by receiving a class of twelve 
this fall, for which purpose we must remove to a larger house. 
I shall be sorry to leave this very pleasant place, but perhaps 
we may find another equally pleasant. 

“ Our gardens have given us a good supply of fruits and 
flowers. I should like to send you some of the grapes, figs and 
pomegranates, which are still to ripen. I would willingly 
exchange them for a few good apples.” 

Speaking of their little one, Mr. Hamlin writes : 

“ She often amuses herself by putting a cup or saucer on 
her head, and going about the house, crying in Greek, ‘ Oil, 
good oil to sell! ’ She talks Greek and English, and under¬ 
stands either language to a degree which attracts the admira¬ 
tion of those present.” 

Describing an earthquake, he says : 

“ A few buildings were injured, and a number of persons 
buried. It seemed as though not only every square of glass, 
but every movable article in the house, was shaking like the 
chattering of teeth. Many have been to me to inquire the 
cause, and among them two of the first bankers in the Arme¬ 
nian nation. They seemed much pleased with my explana- 
16 


182 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


tions, and gave me a cordial invitation to visit them, which I 
intend to do.” 

“We have for breakfast bread and butter, and sometimes 
black olives, which we like very much. At twelve o’clock, 
we have simply a lunch, consisting of bread and cheese, and 
dried fruit at this season, or fresh fruit in the latter part of 
summer. A cent’s worth of hulvah, and two cents’ worth of 
what you would call Graham bread, makes my dinner when I 
go to the city for business, and is often my lunch at home. 
We cannot afford to give our great family better bread, and we 
eat it ourselves that the scholars may have no cause for dis¬ 
content. It is very coarse and brown, but it is generally sweet, 
and we believe quite as wholesome as the white bread, which 
is sold at double the price. 

“ We dine at five o’clock. Our meat is invariably fresh 
mutton. I never heard of anything except one kind of fish 
being salted in this country; and father’s remark, that the bar¬ 
rel would make somebody a good ‘ meat-barrel ,’ amused us, 
having never seen any such article since we left the ship at 
Smyrna. 

“ Our little seminary is going on quite prosperously. I have 
twelve boarding-scholars, and should have more if our house 
would receive them. We have four day-scholars now, two of 
whom are under Henrietta’s care. They are bright little Jew¬ 
ish boys, whose father is quite a respectable man, from Trieste. 
My heart, head and hands, are pretty fully employed, with 
such a family and school. I hear from ten to twelve different 
recitations every day, and we use three languages — Armenian, 
English and Greek. I am waiting for text-books to arrive from 
America, when I shall reduce the classes and recitations.” 

We see with what ease and efficiency Mrs. Hamiin 
assumes the multiplied duties of her new situation, 
adapting herself to her varying circumstances, and 
doing good to all around as she finds opportunity; 
equally at home and equally happy in studying those 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


183 


difficult languages, in instructing the little scholars 
under her care, or in superintending her large house¬ 
hold ; cheerfully entering upon a course of self-denying 
economy, entertaining company with a graceful hospi¬ 
tality, and delicately ministering to the health and 
comfort of her missionary brothers and sisters. 


“ She rises up and brightens as she should. 

And lights her smile for comfort, and is slow 
In nothing of high-hearted fortitude.” 


DIFFICULTIES AND DISCOURAGEMENTS. 


ATTEMPT TO BREAK UP SEMINARY-SECOND REMOVAL-LITTLE HENRI¬ 

ETTA LETTER TO A SISTER IN AFFLICTION DESCRIPTION OF SITUA¬ 
TION GARDEN-CONVERSATIONS WITH TURKS FAMILY CONCERT 

SEMINARY STRAITENED FOR WANT OF FUNDS-MRS. HAMLIN’S GREEK 

AND JEWISH SCHOLARS-HINDRANCES FROM ROMISH INFLUENCES- 

DISAPPOINTMENTS IN THE PURCHASE OF A HOUSE. 

“ God did anoint thee with his odorous oil. 

To wrestle, not to reign. 

So others shall 

Take patience, labor, to their heart and hands, 

From thy hands, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer. 

And God’s grace fructify through thee to all.” 

Mrs. E. B. Browning. 


After a few months of prosperity, the quiet of the 
seminary was interrupted by persecution. The Ar¬ 
menian Patriarch, alarmed by the progress of the 
“new heresy,” and the existence of a Protestant insti¬ 
tution, resolved to break it up. Under the guise of 
friendship, he sent spies to obtain the names of the 
scholars and the residence of their parents; but lie was 
unfortunate in the selection of his instruments. To 
some such conceited visitors Mr. Hamlin once re¬ 
marked : “ Gentlemen, your object in coming here is 
perfectly apparent, and you will certainly fail of 
obtaining it. I shall tell you many things which you 
do not know, but not one which I do not wish you to 
know.” At this, they were glad to make their retreat. 
In the process of time, however, the Patriarch suc¬ 
ceeded in obtaining most of the names. Learning 
that on an approaching feast-day those parents who 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


185 


did not withdraw, their children would be anathema¬ 
tized, Mr. Hamlin simplified the matter by dismissing 
the whole school, a measure which occasioned a scene 
of general weeping among the students. The Patri¬ 
arch triumphed in his success, the storm passed over, 
and in three weeks the students were all called back 
again. In about three months, some officious person, 
calling upon the Patriarch, said, “ That infidel school 
which you killed so dead is risen again,” when he 
once more commenced operations against it. Antici¬ 
pating these interruptions, Mr. Hamlin gave no vaca¬ 
tions except those of the Patriarch’s unceremonious 
appointment; so that, although during the year the 
school was three times disbanded, the students secured 
ten months of study. Thus was victory gained by 
surrender. 

In the fall of 1841 Mr. Hamlin writes : 

“ We are getting along pretty comfortably, except that I am 
harassed and chafed day and night by wearing the strait-jacket 
which the Board have put upon me in reference to the Semi¬ 
nary. I have a dozen students, besides a few day-scholars, 
under what I consider a fine course of discipline and instruc¬ 
tion. And, during the past year, I have been gaining the 
experience and perfecting the plans necessary for a large insti¬ 
tution. Divine Providence seems to have gone far beyond any 
plans and expectations of my own, opening the way for the 
education of Armenian youth in an unprecedented manner. 

“ Instead, however, of being enabled to enlarge our opera¬ 
tions as we confidently expected, the appropriations for 1842 
confine us to our present number, and I shall not be able even 
to employ an assistant teacher without running into debt. 
Meanwhile, the Jesuits, who understand the posture of affairs 
among the Armenians quite as well as we, are making 
great and successful efforts to proselyte them; and, not con¬ 
tent with three Catholic colleges, devoted expressly to the 
16 * 


186 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Armenians, are now putting up a fine addition to their college 
in this village, and will doubtless receive all the young men 
who apply to them. Thus, while the fields are emphatically 
ripening for the harvest, the church of Rome, and not the church 
of Christ, is sending forth the reapers to gather it. Had we the 
funds, we might now be educating fifty young men, as well as 
twelve. There is no other kind of missionary labor which 
promises to lay such a deep and permanent foundation as edu¬ 
cating the young. Nothing can be more painful than our 
present position. Our intercourse with the people is untram¬ 
melled ; interesting conversions are occurring among them, 
which prove the presence of the Holy Spirit. We might send 
out some pious native helpers, not now in our employ, to 
preach the gospel in neighboring- cities and villages, and our 
school might be indefinitely enlarged. But, in the midst of 
these interesting scenes, our appropriations are not more than 
two : thirds of what is necessary to carry out our plans. The 
church of Rome is the only one which seems to be fully awake 
to the work of missions; and, unless the Lord appear in great 
power, she will gather into her drag-net of destruction the 
great proportion of the nominal Christians of the Turkish 
empire. Under present appearances, it would seem as though 
only a few thousand dollars a year, added to present appropria¬ 
tions, would be necessary to set at work agents which might 
result, through the grace of God, in saving the Armenian 
people.” 

The constant applications for admission to the semi¬ 
nary made it necessary for Mr. Hamlin to remove into 
a more spacious house, which was at once filled, the 
number of students being nearly doubled. The man¬ 
sion was very old and dilapidated, but the terraces of 
the garden commanded scenery of surpassing beauty, 
and this Mrs. Hamlin regarded as a compensation for 
her discomforts. She looked out not only upon the 
noble Bosphorus, but upon the charming valley of 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLINt 


187 


Heavenly W aters, with the heights beyond, reminding 
her of her own far-distant but still beloved mountains. 
The owner of the house — chief iron-merchant of the 
government — was hostile to the new movement; but, 
by personal intercourse, enmity was soon changed into 
friendship. The youngest daughter became, not long 
after, the subject of renewing grace, and is now the 
esteemed wife of one of the native pastors. Other 
members of the family also embraced the faith of the 
gospel, and it was always a source of grateful emotion 
to Mrs. Hamlin that God had made them the instru¬ 
ments of bringing salvation to this household. 

In Jan. 1842, Dr. Jackson writes: 

“We have had many solicitous thoughts about your inter¬ 
esting school, and have lamented that, while assailed by the 
malice of enemies, it should be starved by the parsimony of its 
friends. We want to hear much more about its progress and 
prospects. When I read the January Herald , I was thankful 
that your divine Master had enabled you to present the neces¬ 
sity and prospective value of the school with so much appro¬ 
priate argument. Such appeals are desirable as reaching the 
wide field whence all the supplies grow. These supplies, as 
you will know with joy before you receive this, are just now 
springing up wonderfully in some portions of our land, notwith¬ 
standing its pecuniary pressures, which are thought to be 
greater than ever before. This again shows that it is not 
abounding wealth, but an awakened spirit of Christian self- 
denial through abounding grace, that is to save the world. 
And how much prayer and believing effort should be made to 
preserve the church from crying ‘ Yet a little sleep,’ when not 
a tithe of her power has been exerted! 

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. 
Ameo. Your most affectionate father, 

“William Jackson.” 


188 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


TO HER BROTHER AND SISTER, MR. AND MRS. B. 

“ Bebek, Feb. 12, 1842. 

“ I have attempted nothing like study for several months, 
my time being wholly occupied with house-work and my 
necessary sewing. Little miss is such an interruption of busi¬ 
ness, that, with much effort, it is little that I accomplish in the 
course of the day. She comes very often, and, with an implor¬ 
ing face, says, ‘ Play with her, mother; play with her.’ If she 
has a book, mother must look at the pictures and talk about 
them. If she is writing with her pencil, mother must examine 
and pronounce upon her performances, else it is all of no con¬ 
sequence to her. Since we allow her no other companionship, 
we must be as much everything to her ourselves as possible. I 
often contrast her circumstances with those of the little Amer¬ 
ican children, who have good aunties to love and caress them, 
and plenty of agreeable playmates to enliven the days. 

“ I must proceed to tell you something about the box, and 
the agreeable surprise which its arrival occasioned. The little 
dresses and aprons are those which Miss Henrietta puts on 
when she goes to the city, or receives distinguished visitors. 
She calls them her ‘ gege ’ gowns and aprons. 

“ Our house is very pleasantly situated, but it is unfortu¬ 
nately so old and poor as hardly to afford us shelter. I have 
very pleasant visions of the beautiful white parsonage, and 
often see its inmates as they are gathered about the social 
hearth, with the two little ones to fill up the measure of 
enjoyment.” 


TO HER FRIEND M. 

** Bebek, March 1,1842. 

“ My dear M.: It is the first day of spring, and how it recalls 
the feelings of my childhood, when I was always so happy at 
the thought that winter had passed, and summer was coming! 
Whatever brings back my more romantic days and feelings 
reminds me of you, and so I have sat down to write to you. 
How I should like to know more about you than I can this 
morning, — of your health, of your circumstances, of the many 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


189 


things, little and great, which affect your happiness from day 
to day and from week to week! But how few of these things 
can reach me in my far-off abode ! If we could meet and talk 
over our feelings together as formerly, it would he one of the 
greatest luxuries I could enjoy in my Eastern home. I often 
imagine such a meeting, and wonder how we should seem to 
each other. We should both of us confess some change in our 
feelings in regard to many things, but I believe we should be 
essentially the same. I feel unchanged, except so far as cir¬ 
cumstances have changed me; and who is there but must yield 
to the power of these ? So many of my thoughts are now 
given to the earnest and serious cares of life, that I have much 
less time for the beautiful and the poetic than would be agree¬ 
able to me. Still, occupation is a blessing. In my solitary 
position I am never lonely, because I always find something to 
do which seems like important business. I have my house¬ 
hold affairs, my sewing and my lessons, — and, what is more, 
I have my little Nette always with me, always talking, asking 
questions, and claiming attention. I am so covetous of the 
little time that remains to me for study, that I write but seldom 
even to those friends I love best. This is a trial, for it makes 
me fear that I shall be forgotten, and by and by cast off as 
one who places no value upon friends and friendship. But I 
hope you will always know and think better of me. 

“ You would wonder at me if you knew how little of any¬ 
thing I read. Except my Greek and Armenian books, I read 
almost nothing. These I keep always by me, and w r hen I have 
a moment to look into them I am very glad to use it. 

“ March bth. — I wish you could see what a pleasant day 
it is here. I do not believe you are enjoying such a bright, 
warm sunshine as we have this morning, or that you can look 
out upon so verdant a landscape. The winter has passed 
almost without our having realized its coming. Until Febru¬ 
ary, we had nothing that reminded us of winter, and now it is 
spring. We have never once lost the sight of green fields, nor 
missed the voice of the singing birds. A few snow-storms 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


190 

v\ hich v litened the hills for an hour, and a few cold days, is 
all of winter that we have seen or felt. 

“ I wish, too, you could look in and see our pleasant place. 
Our house to be sure is old, and looks like falling over our 
heads; but I do not mind this while I have so much that is 
beautiful in the external world to look upon. These beauties 
are very visible, because the walls of our house are composed 
principally of windows. If you were sitting with me by the 
table that stands in the centre of the room, you would almost 
fancy yourself in a glass house, through which you could see 
nearly the circuit of the horizon. Three sides of the room are 
almost entirely of windows. 

“ You would enjoy a walk with me in the gardens, which 
lie in several terraces upon the hills above us, and which com¬ 
mand one of the finest views on the shores of the Bosphorus. 
A little above, in full view, are the two towers which guard 
the entrance from the Black Sea. Just below, at the foot of 
the hill, and upon the shore, is a beautiful little summer-house 
of the Sultan, into whose enclosure we can look whenever we 
please. The shore opposite, presenting a great variety of hill 
and dale, winds gracefully at this point, and seems to enclose 
it as a quiet little bay. 

“ We have in our house a boarding-school of twenty Armenian 
boys. Mr. Hamlin has much encouragement in it, and many 
discouragements; the latter principally for the want of funds 
to give the school such an establishment and support as it 
needs. 

“ O ur little Henrietta has had a great deal of sickness since 
I wrote you last, but is now well, and is a fat, rosy-cheeked 
little girl, ‘ full of fun and felicity,’ as her father says of her. 
She is the daily delight of her mother’s heart, and the hourly 
hindrance to her business. Yours affectionately, 

“ Henrietta.” 

TO MR. AND MRS. M. 

“ Bebek, March, 1842. 

“My dear Brother and Sister : You and your little fam¬ 
ily have been much in my thoughts since the arrival of our 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


191 


last intelligence from America. The evening before Mr. M.’s 
letter was received, Mr. H. read to me from the Portland Mir¬ 
ror the notice of little Samuel’s death. It went like an arrow 
to my heart, for I felt how yours had been pierced with sorrow 
by the removal of your dear little one. The wound has no 
doubt sometimes seemed too severe to have been inflicted by the 
hand of One that loves you and cares for your happiness. But 
I would hope that the same Hand has, ere this, dispensed heal¬ 
ing mercy; and that now you can, with peace and calmness, 
think of the dear departed one as taken from you to be made 
better and happier than he could have been, had he enjoyed all 
the care that your love and fondness could lavish upon him. 
It is not so much beauty and loveliness forever passed away, 
but removed to a more congenial clime, where you may hope 
to behold it again, untouched by the blight of sin and sorrow. 
But I feel more like weeping with you, than like saying 
‘Grieve not for your loss.’. The heart was made to feel such 
things, and must feel them, if it have the sensibility which is 
natural to it. How can a mother spare anything so precious 
as a sweet child ? I wonder that there are not more broken 
hearts in the world, when I remember how many parents have 
seen their little ones sicken and die, and then laid them away 
in the grave. I sometimes tremble when I think how unpre¬ 
pared I am to pass through such a scene of sorrow. 

“ I often try to think how large each one of the children is, 
but am unable to fix upon any particular dimensions which 
satisfy me. They have no doubt increased much in stature 
since I saw them, and I hope proportionately in wisdom and 
knowledge, and every good thing. Their letters will pass for 
a great deal with us, if they only add a little to our knowledge 
of the matters and things which concern you as a family. 
Much love, many kisses and good wishes, to them.” 

Mr. Hamlin writes: 

“ The situation of our garden, for purity of air and beauty of 
scenery, is wholly unrivalled. Many visitors come to sit 
under its shady trees about sunset, to smoke their pipes and 


192 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


inhale the balmy air. Although my joints sometimes ache 
from the position, yet I cross my legs with them on the green 
grass, apply the amber mouth-piece to my lips with all the 
gravity of an oriental, sip coffee out of their little cups, and 
discuss a thousand questions of science, politics and religion, 
always aiming to enlighten and instruct, without directly and 
roughly attacking their prejudices. Sometimes sentiments are 
advanced which I have to combat directly, but I always en¬ 
deavor to do it by citing appropriate passages from the word of 
God, and asking them whether, in view of such and such 
declarations from God himself, they must not modify their 
views. I have never met with but one instance of a man’s 
being irritated by this mode of discussion; on the contrary, 
they seem generally pleased with it, and I have often heard of 
their saying to others, ‘ This man does not dispute like us, but 
only brings testimony from the Bible. Is not that straight ? ’ 
All my neighbors, so far as I know, are now very friendly, 
except one or two Catholic families. A year ago, everybody 
wished to get us out of the village. We feel greatly encour¬ 
aged that our labor will not be in vain in the Lord.” 

In reply to the description of their house and gardens. 
Mrs. Jackson writes: 

“I sit down, and in imagination look at your house and gar¬ 
dens, but the painting nowhere represents my dear children 
and the sweet little ones. If it did, I should try to fancy 
myself walking with you among the fragrant shrubbery and 
beneath the flowery arches. But how much better would it be 
if we could look upward by faith, and behold the blissful gar¬ 
dens, the ever-blooming flowers, and the fields of*unfading 
glory, with a heaven-wrought expectation of meeting there, and 
together walking the golden streets ! ” 

At another time she says: 

“ Opposite our window on the top of the hill, in the grave¬ 
yard, are two monuments which are very striking to me. They 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


193 


are of beautiful white marble, standing side by side. On one 
is inscribed ‘ To the memory of Henrietta Jackson,’ and on the 
other, ‘ To the memory of Cyrus Hamlin.’ They were brother 
and sister, and lovely children they were. 

“ The thought of having anything in the likeness of little 
Henrietta made me almost fly out of my chair. Your father 
says, ‘I will send the wedding fee (just received) towards 
paying for it.’ 

“Every day in your father’s prayers one petition is, ‘ 0 that 
we may hear good concerning them! ’ And every mail-day 
he will say, ‘ Shall we not have something from Constantinople 
to-day? ’ ” 

Of the little Henrietta her mother had said: 

“ Much of her conversation is about America, and her imag¬ 
ination is full of the good land. Whenever she hears any¬ 
thing called good, excellent or beautiful, the first question is, 
‘ Did it come from America ? ’ Poor child ! she little knows 
from what good she is separated in having her lot cast in a land 
so different from the home of her parents. This thought often 
makes her mother sad.” 

To this her grandmother replies : 

“ Dear little Henrietta ! I wept over her, and prayed that 
heaven might be her home. An inheritance there would com¬ 
pensate for the deprivation of earthly good things. There will 
be an all-sufficient and eternal fulness of all that God can give. 
Tell her, from grandma, that all good things are from heaven, 
not America.” 

Mention has been made of the Wednesday evening 
family concert for prayer. In writing to her daughter, 
Mrs. Jackson alludes to it “ as a concert of prayer for 
all our families and family connections, and our 
descendants down to the end of time. May it,” she 
continues, “be a statute in our families forever! I 
17 


194 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


often think of a cluster of grapes upon the ine, how 
closely they grow and press together; and I long to 
have every family of my children, and the families of 
all our future generations, be like clusters of grapes upon 
the vine. May we all remember the example of the 
Rechabites, and, like them, he faithful and obedient, 
and blessed forever, according as God has promised ! ” 

With regard to the papal influence at Constantinople, 
Mr. Hamlin says: 

“The Roman Catholics have a college at Galata, well fur¬ 
nished and endowed. They have also a large boarding-school 
in this village, and a free day-school at Galata, besides day- 
schools for the children of foreign residents. 

“The Sisters of Charity from France have recently opened 
a large female boarding-school at Pera, under the care of the 
Jesuits. They have also a female day-school at Galata, which 
has had sixty scholars, some of them the children of Protest¬ 
ants. In these five institutions there must be from fifteen to 
twenty persons employed as teachers and directors. What a 
perfect and well-sustained system! How different from our 
own feeble seminary, which the Board is scarcely able to keep 
alive! 

“ Their churches, also, are indications of their wealth and 
energy in their missionary efforts. They have at least four 
well-built and costly stone churches in Pera and Galata. What 
a formidable sum it must have cost to build these four churches, 
college and boarding-schools, &c., and to keep them all in 
operation! The American Board is not able to build even one 
house for a boarding-school, nor to hire one, furnishing decent 
accommodations. 

“ su ch an array of men and means, is it strai ge that 
the Papists make progress? They are supported, too, by 
ambassadors and the members of foreign embassies, a v d they 
are the bitter foes of all Protestant missionaries and missions. 
Much of the enmity which we have met with among the peo¬ 
ple has originated in their machinations and falsehoods. Con¬ 
sidering the comparatively small amount of men and means 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


195 


which the American churches have employed in this field, and 
the immense opposition which has been arrayed against them, 
they have reason to praise God for the degree of success which 
has attended their efforts. The wonder is, that the mission 
has maintained its existence at all. ‘ Truly God has spread a 
table before us in the presence of our enemies.’ 

“We are proud of our missionary spirit, while we do not 
come half way up to the standard of the Papists in regard to 
the amount of means employed, and the zeal with which con- 
tr. mtions are made. The fact is, they believe the Pope more 
firmly than we believe the truth of God.” 

Respecting the prospects of the school, he writes : 

“ I am sorry to say that our seminary is so cramped for want 
of funds. We can have scholars to almost any number, and 
many of them those who would pay a moderate sum for the 
expense of board, if we only had the means of providing good 
accommodations and assistant teachers. We are now just 
receiving a new class of boarding-scholars, in addition to those 
of last year. We have, besides, two day-scholars from a Jew¬ 
ish family, who are very pleasant neighbors, and who call occa¬ 
sionally to see us. Henrietta takes the principal care of their 
instruction, and the entire charge of a promising little Greek 
girl, the daughter of a Greek widow, one of our servants. 
Thus we number our scholars at twenty-seven, while our assist¬ 
ant teacher, our two servants and ourselves, make thirty-three. 
For all these, except two, we provide board, lodging, washing, 
&c. I have made benches, tables, stove-pipes, &c., with my 
own hands.” 

In speaking of the intelligence and education of the 
father of the little Jewish scholars, he says : 

“ But the Jews generally, both in this city and throughout 
the empire, are an ignorant, superstitious, filthy, lying, covet¬ 
ous, greedy, servile race. The curse is still poured out upon 
them without abatement. Mr. Schauffier, with his Bibles, will, 
f hope, l* the means of enlightening and saving some of 


196 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


them ; but to see a tenth part of the Jewish population of Con¬ 
stantinople, or even a twentieth part, in any degree truly inter¬ 
ested in Christianity, would be the greatest miracle of grace 
known since the days of the apostles, and I should regard it as 
the introduction of the millennium. Yeti trust that their chil¬ 
dren and children’s children will be a new generation in intel¬ 
lectual and moral character, and that their minds will be open 
to the truth.” 

In the early part of October, he writes : 

“ After great labor, I have purchased a fine establishment fo 
the school, but the pasha under whose jurisdiction the village 
falls refused to authorize the purchase. We shall, I hope, 
ultimately succeed; but it will cost some time and money, and 
derange our plans. 

“ October 16.— We have given up entirely the attempt to 
get the bargain for the house ratified. The pasha is a tyran¬ 
nical and vindictive man, and hates all foreigners with a per¬ 
fect hatred. He can be managed only by heavy bribes, and 
with these we will have nothing to do. We must again move 
our quarters and hire a house, but where to go we know not. 
This affair is a heavy and unexpected blow to our school, — 
but we do not give up the ship. Perhaps we shall greatly 
rejoice in it. 

“October 30. — Our horizon looks murky and lowering all 
around. Our enemies threaten another effort against the sem¬ 
inary. May the Lord stretch forth his hand to cover our 
heads in the day of battle ! 

“ December 26. — Our seminary now lies very heavy on my 
hands. Six recitations every day are but a small part of the 
cares and labors, and a still smaller part of the anxieties which 
come upon me. 1 have attended to all these, and for more 
than two months have regularly devoted from eight to ten 
hours of the day or night to hard labor, constructing, with the 
aid of a Greek carpenter, a complete set of new and substantial, 
well-made bedsteaas, writing-desks, mineralogical cases, &c. 
&c. By thus making them in the house, I have saved about 
fifty dollars to the American Board.” 


DEATH OF MRS. HAMLIN’S FATHER. 
— PURCHASE OF THE SEMINARY 
ESTABLISHMENT. 


THIRD REMOVAL-TRAGICAL STORIES — ORIENTAL CONSCIENCE-STRUG¬ 
GLE FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE-ILL HEALTH OF MRS. HAMLIN- 

SHORT RESIDENCE AT IIALKI. 

** The veil hath dropped. His spirit now. 

Intense with life, hath soared above.” 


To be unable to smooth the dying pillow of those we 
love,— to treasure up the farewell words and looks of 
affection, and to see the lifeless form laid down in its last 
resting-place,— this is a peculiar trial. Yet it is one 
which the missionary is often called to endure. 

The health of Mrs. Hamlin’s father had long been 
feeble, but early in the fall of 1842 it began to fail rap¬ 
idly, and continued to do so till he had passed into 
the rest of heaven. The account of the last scenes, 
written by his aged and infirm companion to her dis¬ 
tant daughter, is deeply interesting, but only a few 
brief extracts can be given : 

“ I asked your father if he had anything to say to you. 
‘ Tell her to be sure to love and serve her Father in heaven, 
and not to forget her earthly father.’ He was highly gratified 
with your promise of sending little Henrietta’s likeness ; but 1 
think he will never see it with mortal eyes, although his dis¬ 
embodied spirit may often look down upon you, and see you 
all as you are. 

“ Pe'icon Kent says, ‘Let him go. I would not hold him 
17* 


193 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


here.’ He sits by your father’s bedside and prays, and tells 
over to the Lord the whole history of their acquaintance and 
his ministry, — tells of the revivals they have enjoyed, and 
the blessings they soon hope to enjoy together in the presence 
of God and the Saviour. His prayers are very affecting 
indeed, and his appearance (then over ninety-one) extremely 
so. 

“ Your father had long waited with strong desires to receive 
intelligence from you. Some of the children ran to his bed 
and imprudently exclaimed,‘A letter from Constantinople! 
He was quite excited, and, with an animated voice, said, ‘ O, 
joyful! ’ but was so overcome that he could not hear it. 

“ One day he asked me to read the last part of Matthew, 
where Christ was delivered to be crucified. I read to the end 
of the chapter, when he exclaimed, ‘ 0, wonderful! wonderful! 
wonderful! * 

“I went to him one morning, not expecting he would 
ever look at me again ; but, as I was bending over him, he 
opened his eyes, and, when he saw who it was, fixing on me 
an inexpressible look, with a sweet angelic smile, he raised 
both his arms as if he would put them around me. 

“ At one time, when I went to him, he looked up with a 
smile, saying, ‘ I have been thinking that, if I did not love the 
Saviour, there was nothing in the universe that I did love.’ 

“ A few days before his death, as I stood over him, oppressed 
with grief, he looked up pleasantly and said, ‘ Wait on the 
Lord, and he will renew your strength.’ 

“ One morning, when I went to him, he was lying quietly 
with his eyes closed, as if communing with his own heart 
upon his bed, as he did in all his sickness, when not in an 
agony of distress. I said to him, ‘ You are beginning to taste 
the joy that the Saviour bought with pains, are you not?’ He 
looked up with a peaceful countenance, and said, ‘ I began to 
taste them a great many years ago.’ ” 

Her afflicted mother closed a letter Oct. 3, saying : 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


199 


“ The next 1 shall wri:e may be to say to you, as the 
angel said to Mary, — 1 He is not here , he is risen? ” 


“ Oct. 25. 

“ In my last letter, I told you my next would be when your 
father was no more. And now truly he is no more with us in 
this world. One week ago to-day, he was laid in the deep, 
dark grave, and the dear lifeless remains forever concealed from 
our eyes. O, the anguish of seeing him pass by his own 
beloved home, where we had so often passed in together when 
we returned from the house of God. 0, my dear Henrietta! 
may you never know the sorrows of such an hour ! — myself 
trembling on the brink of the grave, and he who would have 
guided my steps and walked with me down the gloomy de¬ 
scent, taken from me forever. What could we do without 
the Bible ? — without the promises, without the counsels it 
contains ? ” 

About this time she sent Mrs. Hamlin a copy of the 
outline of her father’s latest public'address, made at 
the last communion he ever attended. After giving 
the heads, she adds: 

“ In this address I should think your father spoke half an 
hour, and his countenance seemed to be changed as if it had 
been the face of an angel! I thought of Stephen. I should 
have sent you the original, but I could not bear to part with it. 
It remains in his Psalm-book, just as he put it in.” 

It was not till the month succeeding her beloved 
father’s death that Henrietta received the first tidings 
of his sickness, to which she replies : 

“ We were much afflicted to hear of father’s feeble state, but 
hope that ere this he has again been restored to health, and 
that he has now the prospect of enjoying years of usefulness 
on the earth. We shall wait anxiously for your next letter. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


200 


* I have been wishing to write for some time, but the pre- 
pamtions for winter have hindered me. When I found the 
box was not coming this season, 1 set myself immediately 
abcut providing stockings for Henrietta. This I have been 
able to do by unravelling some old ones of her father’s, and 
knitting the yarn for her. I believe I have told you that no 
such thing as stocking-yarn is to be found in this country.” 

At a later date, she writes : 

“ I am sorry to hear such discouraging things in regard to 
father’s health. I shall still hope and pray for his recovery. 
It is when I hear of you thus in sickness and affliction that I 
feel more than ever the distance that separates me from you 
all. 

“ Hohannes is now at Smyrna, and takes passage in the 
first ship for America. He is fleeing from persecution. Some 
of the Armenians who were our friends have been persuaded 
that the missionaries have evil designs against their beautiful 
Apostolic church, and it has so wrought upon their pride and 
jealousy that they have become bitter enemies of the mission¬ 
aries and all the evangelicals. They are trying to break up 
our school, and have succeeded in withdrawing some of the 
scholars.” 

In writing, about the same time, to her sister, Mrs. 
M., whose health was delicate, she says : 

“ I cannot bear to think of you as enduring the confinement 
and suffering the languor and depression of the invalid. If it 
be so, may He who can make us happy in all circumstances be 
your happiness, giving calmness, comfort, peace, joy, and every 
good thing ! How much of his gracious aid we need, in order 
t be in readiness for all that may await us ! Life must have 
its sorrowful as well as its joyful hours, and we can none of 
us tell how many such may be before us. But God can 
strengthen the heart for whatever trial He may see it best to 



MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


201 


bring. If He take away health, He can make us happy with¬ 
out health. If He takes away our friends, He can give us so 
much faith that we shall be happy in looking forward to the 
time when we shall be with them again in that world where 
there is no more the fear of separation. I love to think of 
heaven as a place where we shall enjoy the society of those 
we have loved here, without the fear or pain of parting. 
What a different world must that be from this! No sin, no 
sorrow — nothing to trouble the heart. 

“ I wish you could look in and see how comfortably we are 
getting settled for the winter. We have down two very good- 
looking carpets, and three stoves are put up ; so that, with all 
my husband’s carpentering, calking and listing, we have the 
prospect of keeping warm. 

“ The persecutions among the Armenians have ceased for a 
little. Everything is quiet now, and nobody fears. How long 
this state of things will continue we cannot tell.” 

It was some months after her venerated father had 
put off the mortal body, and was a rejoicing spirit 
before the throne, that she heard of his departure from 
earth. Her letter to her mother .on this occasion has 
been mislaid; but to her sister, Mrs. M., she writes : 

“ Your long letter of four sheets was received a few days 
since, and I feel more grateful for it than I can express. I am 
glad you were able to spend so many weeks at home during 
father’s last sickness, and that you and Mr. M. were both 
there at the time of his death. 

“ It was a great trial to us that we were left for so long a 
time in suspense in regard to the event. I have felt most pain¬ 
fully the loss which we sustain in the removal of our dear 
father. It is the great subject upon which my thoughts dwell; 
and when I realize that one so dear to us has gone, to return 
no more, my feelings are indescribable. But we have a pre¬ 
cious treasure in the memory of one who possessed so many 
excellences. I love to think of him as he was when with us. 


202 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


His every-day life was good and beautiful. Who will do him 
any justice in an obituary notice ? To us such a record is 
unnecessary, for *ve have his memoirs written on our hearts, 
where they can never be effaced.” 

The institution at Bebek was now in a prosperous 
condition. It had begun to attract attention, and was 
visited by multitudes, with whom Mr. Hamlin had 
religious discussion. Its third year they were accus¬ 
tomed to designate as “the year of the thousand visits.” 
Some most interesting conversions followed upon these 
discussions. The school continuing to increase, they 
were compelled to seek a more commodious edifice. 
There was a particular house upon which Mr. Hamlin 
had had his heart set from his first coming to Bebek. 
Many difficulties were in the way of obtaining it, and his 
perseverance sometimes occasioned humorous remarks 
among his brethren. We have seen how the Pasha, 
some months previous, refused to ratify the bargain 
for its purchase. But, one by one, the obstacles were 
removed. In the autumn of 1843, this spacious and 
comfortable building was hired for two years and a 
half, and finally was purchased by the American 
Board as the permanent premises of the seminary. 

Mrs. Hamlin’s health had for some time been very 
feeble, and she had several times raised blood, while 
her cough excited great apprehension. They had con¬ 
templated spending the winter in Egypt; but, on remov¬ 
ing into a more convenient house, her health improved, 
and, though always delicate, it was gradually restored 
to its accustomed state. 

A tragical story had been connected with all the 
houses they had occupied since leaving Pera. Of the 
fate of the Greek lord of their house at Arnaout Keuy 
mention has been made. The occupant of their second 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN 


2(3 


dwelling had been stabbed by assassins; blit, recover¬ 
ing from the blow, on paying to the assassins a greater 
sum than the man who had hired them to do the deed, 
he was left with a pledge of safety. The iron mer¬ 
chant, the owner of the third, being, as was supposed, 
a man of vast wealth, was thrown into prison by the 
Grand Vizier. Here exorbitant demands were made 
upon him, and, being unable to meet them, he was 
driven to madness. The fortunes of the family own¬ 
ing their last residence would make a truly Arabian 
tale. From a Greek bread-dealer, the grandfather was 
suddenly raised to be the banker of the Grand Vizier. 
One day he was selling bread to the lowest of the 
people; the next, he was saluted and envied by the 
magnates of the proud city. The grandson, Cheleby 
Yorgaki, passed through the strangest vicissitudes of 
fortune. During the Greek revolution, his palace was 
at three different times stripped of its costly furniture 
by the Janizaries, as a ransom for his life. These 
misfortunes, together with several destructive fires, 
reduced him to comparative penury. A domestic 
affliction plunged him and his wife into a sorrow from 
which they never recovered. The aged couple contin¬ 
ued for some time to occupy the lower story of the 
house, and manifested much affection for Mrs. Hamlin. 
The history of the negotiations in relation to the pur¬ 
chase of his house illustrates the pliant character of 
the oriental conscience. The owner affirmed that a 
bishop, a friend of theirs, who did not wish to appear 
in the matter, had ofFered them a sum considerably in 
advance of Mr. Hamlin’s offer. Mr. Hamlin had, how¬ 
ever, learned enough of oriental business fashions to 
doubt this assertion. The diplomacy lasted several 
months, but at length a compromise was effected at a 
sum quite below the bishop’s offer. At the conclusion 


204 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


of the bargain, Mr. Hamlin discovered that this friendly 
bishop was no other than his veritable self; and con¬ 
ceding to him for the occasion the title of bishop, and 
assuming that he would give that sum, Cheleby thus 
made him bid against himself, enjoying the affair as a 
pleasant joke. And yet these people were among the 
very best specimens of their religion. In this connec¬ 
tion Mr. Hamlin says : “ I have seen an end of all per¬ 
fection in oriental piety. It does not purify the heart, 
enlighten the mind, nor save the soul.” 

The purchase of this edifice was regarded as an 
important object gained to the mission. 

The following letter from Mr. Hamlin, recently re¬ 
ceived, gives some description of the building, and of the 
various uses to which it is applied: 

“ It is a wooden structure, originally painted a dead black, 
but now browned by the sunshine and storms of more than 
half a century. 

“ It is occupied by the principal and his family, with fifty 
boarding-scholars, — making in all sixty persons. 

“ Entering the back gate, beneath the columns on which 
a part of the house stands, you find two large workshops, each 
fifty feet long. One is on the ground, among the columns; the 
other, over it, was constructed by the principal and students, 
the English workmen in the Sultan’s iron-works furnishing the 
material. Here are made stoves, stove-pipes, and all kinds of 
tin and japan ware. Three or four men are constantly em¬ 
ployed, the students working only as occasion requires, for their 
clothing. 

“ Ascending a long flight of stone steps, you enter the lower 
story of the house, resting upon the above-named columns. In 
this story are the students’ dining-hall and Mrs. Hinsdale’s 
school-room for missionary children, containing also English 
children, the whole numbering twenty. The space for about 
half this story was excavated out of the steep side of the hill, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


205 


in solid rock, and furnishes excellent store-rooms and magazines 
for wood and coal. 

“ As you pass out of this story into a small garden, you find 
a magazine built of stone into the side-hill, which was a depos¬ 
itory of the old wine for all the parties that this ancient house 
has seen. The wine-casks have disappeared, and one- 
half is fitted up for a japanning oven, the other for a camphene 
factory. It furnishes employment for poor and persecuted Ar¬ 
menian Protestants, not connected with the seminary. 

“ Ascend to another level, and you come to the apartments 
for the family and the chapel. On Sabbath morning, at nine 
o’clock, there is a service in Armenian, for the students and the 
Armenian families and workmen resident in the village. At 
this service about fifty attend. At the same hour is the Greek 
service in my study, at which twenty attend. At eleven is the 
English service, from forty to fifty attending. The exercises in 
the afternoon and evening are in the seminary hall. 

“ On the same level with this story are outbuildings, once 
used for a kitchen, store-room and servants’ rooms. By the 
generous kindness of a New England lady, I have been able 
to change these buildings into a fine workshop and laboratory. 
The laboratory is an upper room, all the lower rooms being 
thrown into one 'spacious shop, containing a planing-machine 
for iron and brass, a turning-lathe, a carpenter’s bench and 
tools, four assaying and melting furnaces, a blacksmith’s forge, 
a well and a cistern. I have assayed many ores of the empire, 
and done something for some of the mines. 

“ There remain still the upper story and the spacious attic, 
devoted entirely to the students’ dormitories, the Armenian 
students’ hall, the Greek hall, or study-room, and recitation 
rooms. 

“ Passing to the opposite side of the street, there are old 
stables, a garden, cistern and well. I hav$ neither horse nor 
horses, but I have put up, with infinite labor, a six-horse power 
steam-engine. Here is a last-factory, and preparations for 
baking, as also flour-mills. Here four workmen are constantly 
employed; and during the morning, noon and evening recesses, 
18 


206 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMUN. 


the students pour in to their work, making it a cheerful and 
busy scene. As they work by the piece, and are well paid, it 
is easy to keep order and diligence. When our plans are com¬ 
pleted, six or eight additional men will find constant employ¬ 
ment. 

“ The expense of this establishment was only six thousand 
dollars, and it is all appropriated to the best possible uses. The 
students clothe themselves by their own labor. 

“ For all the shops, tools, machines, &c., no money of the 
Board has been used; but private individuals, mostly resident 
here, and our own labor, have furnished them.” 

During their persecutions, when the Protestant Ar¬ 
menians were thrown out of employment, Mr. Hamlin 
determined to send several young Armenians to this 
country, to learn the principal mechanic arts and trades, 
that, on their return, they might not only supply the 
wants of the Protestants, but, by their superior skill, 
command the best business of the country, and obtain 
an independent livelihood. It was a bold experiment, 
but has, thus far, been attended with decided success. 
It promises to free the Protestant community from their 
humiliating dependence on their oppressors, and give 
them a position and influence in the empire which 
otherwise they could not easily have attained. 

The letters of Mrs. Hamlin’s mother, as we have 
seen, are distinguished for their sprightliness and intel¬ 
ligence, and for the depth of natural sensibility and 
unction that breathed through them. She frequently 
expressed her thoughts in verse, and continued the 
habit to the close of her long life. We cannot refrain 
from giving a specimen, written the summer following 
the death of her beloved companion, an l before the 
monument to his memory had been erected. In a let¬ 
ter to her daughter she says, “ I send you a rose-sprig 
that grew on the turf that lies over your father’s face.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 207 

* 

And then, in the beautiful simplicity of her grief, 
she adds, “ I will tell you what 1 thought beside his 
grave : 

“ 0 ! let not this beloved spot 
Thus undistinguished lie, 

And just like common earth appear 
To heedless passers-by ! 

Let no rude foot, with careless step, 

Press on this sacred dust ! 

What once was great is treasured here, 

Concealed in holy trust. 

“ Let roses blossom all around, 

And flowers of richest dye, 

And lilies in their spotless white 
Spread where the ruins lie ! 

Let sweetest shrubs and balmy plants 
Shed rich perfumes around, 

And Heaven affix some signal-mark 
That this is hallowed ground ! 

“ But God, from his celestial throne, 

Regards this humble mound, — 

An angel-band is stationed here 
To guard the spot around. 

Peaceful I leave the precious dust, 

Since in God’s care it lies, 

Till He the bands of death shall burst, 

And take it to the skies.” 

The following extract from a letter written soon 
after expresses her maternal heart: 

“ I do try to pray for you and for Constantinople; and then 
so many fields and missionaries meet my eyes, that I can say 
little more than ‘ Lord, bless them all, and hear their prayers, 
and answer them according to the riches of thy grace* and suit 
thy mercies to all their needs.’ 

“ I have one particular request to make daily, which seemed 


20S 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAB^IN. 


to be impressed on my mind with great force when you men¬ 
tioned your incessant labor and the crowds that throng you. 
It is that you may be filled with heavenly light, and stand as 
an illuminated building, light pouring from every window, 
enlightening all around you ; and that your every word and 
action may be as rays of light shining upon the darkness, till all 
is brightness and joy. 

“I am so broken down I feel incapable of writing; but this 
letter is to my children, and they will feel for the infirmities 
of a mother pressed under the weight of more than seventy 
years.” 

“My beloved little Henrietta i Your grandmother wishes 
very much to write a long letter to you, and tell you all about 
the once pleasant home of your mother, and about her when 
she was a little girl, — how she loved her book, and how she 
would sit in her little chair all Sabbath day, and read and lean- 
good things. She never played on the Sabbath, and was always 
afraid she should not keep it holy. 

“ I never should be tired of talking to the dear little child I 
love so much, but whom I shall never see in this world. I 
must tell you, my dear little Henrietta, that all good things do 
not come from America. Heaven is the place from which 
every good thing flows down to earth, and it is as near to Con¬ 
stantinople as to America. 

“ I should like to write you about your sick and afflicted 
grandmother; how lonely she is, now your dear grandfather is 
gone; and how she feels when she looks out into the grave¬ 
yard where he lies buried, and where, from her window, her 
eyes so often meet the trembling poplars that shade his lonely 
grave.” 


TO HER FRIEND M. 

“ Bebek, March 1st, 1844. 

“My dear M.: It is a delightful day, — the sun shines 
brightly, and the air is soft and pleasant. The breath of the 
violets is sweet, and the fragrance of many other flowers comes 
in at my windows from the gardens below. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


209 


“ I see you still surrounded by the snows of winter, and try¬ 
ing to keep warm in your snug little sitting-room, by a brisk 
fire in the stove. 1 wish I could see whether you are seated 
at your table and writing to me. I am sure you have had 
some thoughts of me, and this certainty has added greatly to 
my enjoyment of the day. Your parsonage has been described 
to me by one who has had the pleasure of taking tea with you 
at your little round table, so that I can form a better idea of 
your whereabouts than you seem to have of mine. Indeed, I 
have been changing mine so often, that before my description 
could reach its destination I should probably be somewhere 
else. I should like to describe to you the great old house in 
which we now live, and which we have taken for the long 
period of two and a half years. But I should despair of giving 
you any correct picture, even should I write over several sheets. 
Everything within and without is strange, and unlike what you 
have ever seen. It would require many words to describe the 
room in which I am now sitting, with its superabundance of 
ornament, painting and carved work. The house is very pleas¬ 
antly situated, overlooking almost the whole village, and giv¬ 
ing us a good view of its palace-lined shores. It is large and 
commodious, making us more comfortable than we have been 
in any former residence. It contains many marks of its former 
magnificence, and is the scene of a tale written by an English¬ 
man, called ‘ The Armenian.’ The foster-parents of the heroine 
still occupy apartments below, and it is not many days since I 
heard the story from them. They described to me the wed- 
ding-feast, when the house was crowded with guests, and the 
bridegroom awaiting the appointed hour. The bride came not. 
Search was made for her, but in vain. It seems they were 
going to marry her to an Armenian, but she preferred a Greek, 
although a poor man, and eloped with him. But the hard¬ 
ships of poverty soon brought her to the grave.” 

In reference to this story, it may not be uninteresting 
to say that, on removing some part of the wall, an 
enamelled ring was found by Mr. H., which was sup- 
18 * 


210 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


posed to have been lost at the wedding-feast. This ring 
was carefully preserved by Mrs. H. while she lived, 
and was then sent to her friend M. 

She continues: 

“ I am quite contented and happy. The only thing I want 
is more time for study, reading, and writing letters. I some¬ 
times feel as if I had more than I could do, in the care of my 
two children, and the supervision of so large an establishment. 

“You know, I believe, that Mr. and Mrs. Wood live with 
us at Bebek. They add much to the pleasure of our life. 

“ Drs. Hawes and Anderson have just made us a visit, and 
are still at Smyrna. The missionary work continues to pros¬ 
per here in all its departments. The seminary was never in 
better circumstances, and we hope it is to do much for the 
progress of the reformation already commenced among the 
Armenians. 

“ Mr. Schaufiler is at present in feeble health, and there is 
need that some one should lay hands on him to keep him from 
working himself to death. 

“ I congratulate you on your increased possessions. I often 
tremble when I feel how precious my little ones are to me. 
Write much about the child. Henrietta frequently asks for 
the cunning letter which little M. wrote her, and I believe she 
is meditating a reply. 

“ Our political state is at present very interesting, and every 
one seems expecting great events. Since the execution of the 
Armenian, who was beheaded some months since for his return 
from Mohammedanism to Christianity, a Greek has suffered 
martyrdom for the same cause. As soon as the English gov¬ 
ernment learned the fact, they sent in a demand that the life 
of Turk or Christian never again be taken for a renunciation 
of Mohammedanism, and required that the Sultan should put his 
signature to such a paper. They were filled with indignation 
at the request, and declared a holy crusade against all Chris¬ 
tian nations. But they knew that this was going too fast, and 
are now pausing to think what they shall do. We cannot yet 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


211 


know what will come of it, but would hope for great good to 
all the world. 

“ March 12. — The Porte gave their answer yesterday, after 
many weeks of consideration, — a negative. Russia and Aus¬ 
tria are with them; England has France and Prussia with her. 
Mr. Goodell writes, ‘ What a Gog and Magog affair this 
twelve hundred and sixty is likely to make! ’ Should war 
come, we may expect such battles as the world never saw; and 
I should wish to be much further from the scene of action than 
this. Should it become necessary for us to leave here, I have 
my husband’s promise that we do not stop short of the United 
States. 

“ Kisses to the darling baby from all of us. 

“ Yours as ever, 

“ Henrietta.” 

In a letter home, a few days after, she says, in refer¬ 
ence to the above-named movement: 

“The second answer of the Turks, in which they promised 
all that was demanded, has been accepted. It is said that 
Russia finally became favorable. England declares herself 
protectress of all Christian subjects, except the Greeks. These 
she leaves to Russia, and has perhaps in this way conciliated 
her favor.” 

This desirable result was obtained, under God, 
through the instrumentality of the English ambassador, 
Sir Stratford Canning. By his fearless stand in behalf 
of religious liberty, the principle of tolerance was estab¬ 
lished in the Turkish empire. This noble intervention 
has crowned Sir Stratford with the brightest laurels, 
and won for him the blessings and the prayers of every 
Christian heart throughout the world. 

In closing a letter to her sister, Mrs. M., Henrietta 
say^ 

“ It quite perplexes me when I hear that those whom I left 


212 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


little boys and girls, have grown to be as tall as their father 
and mother. Please tell them all that I love fhem, and want 
to see them more than tongue can tell or pen can write. 

“ Such were the last accounts of Mr. M.’s health, that we 
are very anxious to hear again. I wish he would try the effect 
of a voyage to Constantinople, taking his wife with him. It is 
the very best prescription that I can think of for you both, and 
for us all. Distribute the children among the uncles and aunts, 
shut up the house, and come. How easy! ” 

Under date of June, 1844, Mr. Hamlin writes: 

“ The Jesuits are making a great effort against us, and are 
exciting the Armenians and Turks to oppose our measures, 
and, if possible, to expel us from the country. Our ambassador 
takes firm and decided ground in our favor, and there is no 
prospect that they will succeed. 

“An ex-patriarch of the Armenian church has also been 
writing a circular against us, and the Patriarch and bishops 
have been preaching against us, — so that we are everywhere 
spoken against. But, notwithstanding this opposition, we were 
never happier in our work. In the first place, we have enough 
to do. And we not only have enough to do, but our work is of the 
lest possible kind. To preach the glorious gospel of the blessed 
God, to unfold spiritual Christianity in its simplicity and purity, 
and to show the folly and falseness of forms and ceremonies as 
a means of reconciliation with God, — what can better employ 
the heart and life of the Christian ? And this is not only a 
good work, but it is also not in vain in the Lord. Many have, 
as we trust, been transformed by the Spirit through the truth. 
The spirit of inquiry is not only becoming more extensive, but 
more spiritual in its character; and it is most evidently the 
work of God, and not of man. *==***:###* 

“ My dear wife is very domestically engaged in working over 
and salting butter, and, as this letter will go early in the morn¬ 
ing, she will not be able to add a line.” ^ 


MEMOIRS ,OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


213 


FROM HER MOTHER. 

“ December, 1844. 

“ I never received a letter from you that affected me so much 
as your last. My whole soul seemed to fly to you, and my 
heart embraced you as it never did before. I felt that I should 
see you no more on earth, — but what is that, if we can 
rieet in heaven? O, my dear child, let us be faithful! What 
will all our cost of getting to heaven be, compared with what it 
cost the Saviour to bring us there ? I cannot tell you what is 
in my hee.rt to say to you ; but you have the sweet word of 
God, and the Holy Comforter, who can teach you all things. 

“ Cannot you contrive not to labor so hard, and break down 
in the morning of life ? Perhaps you might eventually perform 
more labor by allowing yourself some rest. I hope discretion 
will guide your steps, and understanding preserve you. 

“ 1 feel as if I could not close my letter, though I am so 
wearied that I can scarcely have one thought, and have pre¬ 
pared myself for a sleepless night. I thank you for every one 
of your letters a thousand times, knowing how difficult it is for 
you to write them. May the beauty of the Lord our God be 
upon us all! 

“ I know you have higher services to perform than to turn 
from them to serve me, and a dearer and infinitely more 
worthy Friend to do for and to please than the dearest earthly 
relative. And I choose you should do His will. 

“ Deacon Kent still lives and retains his mind, and is evi¬ 
dently increasing in preparation for heaven. He always 
inquires after you, and the state of things around you. He 
says, ‘ I love the work they are employed in, and I love them 
for engaging in it.’ 

“ Sometimes a gleam of hope, like a lightning-flash, passes 
my mind, that I may see you again. So many missionaries 
return, perhaps you may. But I choose God should direct. 
If we meet in heaven, it will be enough, — O, enough, enough ! 

“ So ‘ boundless is our Father’s love, in height, and depth, 
and length,’ that we are lost in an ocean of infinity ! Not that 
I have seen these things with open face, but I do believe them. 


214 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


And, feeling my own inability to express such wondrous things, 
I use the words of the angelic Watts: 

* Fain would I reach eternal things. 

And learn the notes that Gabriel sings.’ 

“ But these notes must flow from a full heart, filled with the 
fulness of God. And there is one note in heaven that angels 
can never sound; there is no string in their lyre for that. 
They can sing, ‘Worthy is the Lamb,’but saints only can add, 
‘For He hath died for us.’ To this note there is in the heart 
of every saint a chord that will vibrate with thrilling ecstasy, 
beyond what angels can ever know. My dear Henrietta, may 
every one of all our households, at all times, feel that God is 
love, — that all we want is God to be our God ! ” 

Notwithstanding the increasing infirmities of Mrs. 
Jackson, now nearly four-score years of age, she con¬ 
tinued to write to her distant daughter almost every 
month. Mrs. Hamlin, however, from her pressing cares 
and often delicate health, was able to make but few 
replies. In her own language : 

“ My letters have been growing fewer and further between, 
while at the same time my thoughts have increased in fre¬ 
quency and intensity. With my children and the seminary 
to care for, I never seem to find time enough for everything, 
and you can easily imagine how, under such circumstances, 
time passes with such an imperceptible flight, that months pass 
away, and friends remain neglected, while, with the intention 
to write always in my mind, I am unconscious of the neglect. 

“ Our dwelling is large, spacious and airy, and the abundant 
exercise I take in it is no doubt promotive of health. I rarely 
find time to take a walk even in our garden, and yet my health 
has, on the whole, improved during the last year. 

“ The only plants I have now are the verbena and the tuba 
rose. In one of our gardens we have a grove of lemon and 
orange trees, which are covered in winter to protect them from 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


215 


frost. Under this covering I keep my flowers in the cold 
season. 

“ The children are at this moment looking out of the win¬ 
dow, and Susan is lecturing some Greek children, who are at 
play in the street, because they do not conduct themselves 
according to her ideas of justice and propriety.” 

The next intelligence of her health was not so favor¬ 
able. In July, 1845, Mr. H. writes: 

“ Henrietta had, some two months since, a slight hemorrhage 
of the lungs, but nothing, as she says, compared with what she 
had at home. It was owing to fatigue and imprudent effort. 
The physician does not think it will recur again. Rest and 
freedom from care are the best medicine she could have.” 

This letter gave Mrs. Jackson great anxiety, and for 
a time she was very earnest to have her daughter take 
a voyage to her native land. As she learned, however, 
of her improved health, she yielded her wishes to the 
indications of Providence, and gave up the thought of 
meeting her on earth. Her maternal heart was always 
overflowing with tenderness towards the dear little ones 
whom she was never to see. 

“ I wish I could tell you, when I was thinking of the little 
girls, what pleasant views I had of the goodness of God in sav¬ 
ing little children. 0, how delightful to think that the feeblest 
child that is looking up to Christ and to the fold where he 
gathers his lambs, with a desire to be there, he will notice, 
and lead up the steep ascent and along the narrow way, and 
bring it to be with him in Paradise forever ! 

“ Your grandmother can assure you that the good things she 
learned when a child are better to her than thousands of sil¬ 
ver and gold. In my long and sleepless nights, and long weeks 
of sickness and confinement, when I can neither read nor hear, 
they come fresh to my memory, and are an unspeakable com¬ 
fort. And thus, when alone, I am not alone. 


216 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ October 16. — To-day is the anniversary of your father’s 
burial. I have been to visit his grave, and it seems but yes¬ 
terday since I stood there and saw how his body was laid to 
rest till the morning of the resurrection. I felt that he had 
risen, and chose to look upwards ; yet the place where he and 
the children lie is very dear to me, and I love to visit it. And 
it is right I should. Mary, with tears, visited the sepulchre of 
Him she loved, and met with angels there, and her Saviour 
too, and her sorrow was turned to joy. So may our sorrows 
be soothed at the grave of friends, if faith directs our eye within 
the vail! 

“ February , 1846. — If I had health and mind, I should like 
to write something to the dear little unknown, and as yet 
unknowing babe. I should be glad to leave with all my grand¬ 
children some token of a grandmother’s love, for them to look 
upon when the heart that dictated it has ceased to feel, and 
the hand that wrote it lies motionless in the dust; that they 
might know there had lived one who hod desired and prayed 
for their salvation. I feel a great deal for the dear child, and 
can do but little to benefit her; but I will look to God, who can 
do all things for her. 

* May she like some fair orb arise. 

With rays divinely bright. 

And shed on all the darkness round 
The beams of heavenly light ! 

‘No clouds obscure her shining course. 

Nor darkness veil the way. 

By which she treads her upward path 
To the fair realms of day ! 

* And when all earthly lights expire. 

Bright suns no more arise. 

May she a radiant star appear 
In yon celestial skies !* 

“April, 1846. — When I try to collect my thoughts, they are 
all in a tumult, like straws in a whirlwind. I sometimes feel 
as if I knew nothing, and my senses were all gone. B it I 
shall continue to write you till they tell me my letters are 
unintelligible and must not be sent.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


217 


«« Halki, Sept. 3d, 1816. 

“My dear Mother: You will wonder where we are, for I 
am sure you never heard of such a place as Halki. It is a 
small island in the Sea of Marmora, about an hour and a half 
from Constantinople. We are here a little while for the health 
of the family, but especially for the improvement of Henrietta’s 
health. The physicians have recommended a change of air 
for her, and we have taken a house here for one month. 

“ On the morning of every other day, Mr. Hamlin goes to 
Bebek, and spends the day with his school, returning in the 
evening. Thus he enjoys a pleasant sail by steamer, and has 
already derived much benefit from it. His health had failed 
very much during the last year, in consequence of his too 
abundant labors. He had in the winter a troublesome cough, 
which did not entirely leave him until since we came here. 
He is now feeling stronger and better than for a long time. 

“ I have had no cough through the summer, but have felt 
less vigor and energy than usual. I am now quite well, and 
am enjoying our residence here very much, and Henrietta’s 
cheeks begin to look round and plump again. 

“ Our house, though small, stands directly upon the sea, and 
has a piazza built over the water, where we spend much of our 
time, and get the full benefit of the sea air. The children have 
just brought in each an apron-full of shells, which the servants 
have collected for them among the rocks below. They have 
poured them upon the floor, and some of them begin to walk 
about, greatly to their surprise, and they are calling me to look 
at the wonderful phenomenon. Many of them are precisely 
the same kind of shells which you used to bring me from 
Hampton Beach, and remind me of those visits to Brentwood, 
and that collection of shells which I used to keep in a certain 
green box, and which, for aught I know, may be there still. 
To-day everything reminds me of home, and I am glad I have 
a little time to write to you. I purpose writing many letters 
while I am here, as I have more leisure than when at Bebek. 

“We are all going out to explore the island, and look upon 
the beautiful scenery around us, and in this manner finish the 

19 


218 


MEMOIRS OF. MRS. HAMLIN. 


eighth celebration of our wedding-day. We feel quite sure 
that you are thinking of us to-day. You have been very kind 
to send us so many letters, while you have received so few. 

“ Henrietta and Susan are very fond of looking at your pic¬ 
ture, but they are sorry to discover that grandma is an old lady, 
because they are afraid she may not live till they go to Amer¬ 
ica. They think much of your letters to them, and they are 
carefully preserved for their benefit in future years. There is 
no person in America of whom they think and talk so much 
as of grandma. Susan has just brought me a piece of paper, 
cut out to the best of her ability, which she says is for 
grandma. 

“ Among the Armenians things are in a very critical and 
interesting state. 

“ Our brethren are exposed literally to the loss of all things. 
Those who have a little property are arraigned on false 
charges of debt, and by means of false witnesses compelled 
to pay.” 


REMINISCENCES OP DEACON KENT.— 
DEATH OP MRS. H.’S MOTHER. 


PROSPERITY OP SEMINARY — CHARTER OP TOLERANCE — LAST LETTERS OP 

MRS. JACKSON-LAST LETTERS OF MRS. H.—CHEERING TOKENS AMONG 

GREEKS. 


“ They do not die, 

Nor lose their mortal sympathy, 

Nor change to us, although they change.” 

In Memoriam. 

i 

Intimately associated with the family of Dr. Jackson 
was good Deacon Kent, whom we first met at Henri¬ 
etta’s bridal, where he poured out his full heart of 
thanksgiving and love. This holy man of God, now 
almost a hundred years old, in accordance with the 
pledge at that time given, had daily borne Mr. and 
Mrs. Hamlin on his heart before the God of missions. 
We have seen how he sat by the dying bed of his 
faithful minister, and, as it were, on the wings of his 
prayer, bore him up to the gates of the New Jerusalem 
above. 

A few scattered notices of this venerable saint, 
gleaned from Mrs. Jackson’s letters, cannot fail to 
interest. 

“ Deacon Kent came to see me not long since, and said I 
must tell you that he thought much of you, and prayed for 
you every day. He is quite deaf, and almost blind, — says he 
is waiting, expecting every day to go home to his heavenly 


220 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Father, and take possession of the inheritance He has willed to 
his children.” 

“ Deacon Kent’s inner man is daily strengthening, but the 
outer man is decaying. Not long since, he felt a fainting-fit 
coming on, when he said, with a smile, ‘ I think I shan’t 
deceive you now; I believe I am going.’ 

“ He says he ‘ wants only an invitation, he don’t need a sum¬ 
mons.’ He calls these sick turns ‘ receiving billets.’ God has 
made him a witness for himself, that they that trust in Him 
* shall not be afraid.’ ” 

“ Deacon Kent seems about to leave us. It will be a great 
loss to our family, to the church and the world. He has lived 
almost ninety-seven years, and has been a praying soul eighty. 
May a double portion of his spirit rest on thousands! ” 

“ Deacon Kent still lives. He has nearly lost the use of his 
limbs, but his piety is as bright as noon. Your sister M. vis¬ 
ited him, and he told her some of the exercises he had had. 
He said that once, when he was praying, the heavens were 
opened, and he had such views that his breath ceased, and he 
had to seek air from the window, and it seemed to him that 
he never should breathe again. He called it ‘ a weight of 
glory .’ 

“ He was very sick some time since, and it was thought he 
was rapidly going. One night when he supposed he was 
alone, he began talking to himself. ‘I can trust Him ; O, yes ! 

I can trust Him. He never deceived me yet, — no, never, 
never l Why, He is my Brother, — yes, my Brother l He says 
so, — that is all I know about it.’ And much more, showing his 
faith and confidence. Satan can no longer distress him with 
doubts.” 

“ Deacon Kent still lives. He says he is expecting soon to 
be young, and never grow old any more. He was inquired of 
the other day how he did. ‘ O,’ said he, ‘ I am not ripe yet; 
when I am ripe, I shall drop off.” 

“ Deacon Kent yet lives. They say he prays for mercies, 
and gives thanks for favors received all the time.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


221 


From Mrs. Jackson’s closing letter is taken this last 
mention of the beloved patriarch. Long had he lain 
close by the jasper walls of Paradise, and the bright 
angels soon bore him within its opened gates. There 
the prayers so long ascending before the throne descend, 
and will continue to descend in rich blessings upon the 
earth. 

After the purchase of the seminary, and the act of 
religious tolerance secured by Sir Stratford, the board¬ 
ing-school continued to make progress, enjoying in a 
high degree the blessing of Heaven. 

In January, 1847, Mr. Hamlin writes : 

• 

“ Our seminary is quite full, having thirty-eight scholars, 
with two assistant teachers, making forty boarders. Then, 
with three servants, and the man who works on our land and 
garden, and with our five selves, we are forty-nine, — a large 
household, requiring no little care to give them their meat in 
due season, and provide for all the wants, bodily, intellectual 
and spiritual, of such an establishment. 

“ Perhaps I mentioned in my last letter that we have licensed 
one of the senior class to preach. He has just returned from a 
visit to Nicomedia and Ada Bazar, where his labors seem to 
have been greatly blessed. 

“We have organized a separate theological department, and 
now those who are fit for the pastoral office, after completing 
four years in the seminary, will study theology three years. 
God has blessed us, and that right early. We did not expect 
to see so much progress in so short a time.” 

In a postscript, Mrs. Hamlin adds: 

“ I hope mother will not relinquish her good habit of writing 
us frequently. We get few letters from any other quarter, but 
it would ill become me to complain, who receive so much 
beyond my deserts. 

“ I was happy to hear so particularly of things in and about 

19 * 


222 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


the old mansion. S. ought to have told me of her improve¬ 
ments and embellishments. I rejoice much in all she has done 
to make the old and much-loved home pleasant and cheerful; 
only I am afraid she will not be willing to leave it by and by, 
and come to Constantinople.” 

The next month Mr. H. gives a fuller account of their 
progress: 

“ Our seminary is in a condition more satisfactory to me 
than ever before, and I see it advancing, not rapidly, perhaps, 
but steadily, towards the standard I have had fixed in my mind 
for years. Five students, educated in our seminary, have entered 
the theological department. I trust we shall be able to raise up, 
through divine aid, a faithful and well-educated ministry. In 
the other department, we have just introduced the study of the 
Turkish language in the Arabic character, and I am pursuing 
the study myself in all the shreds and loose ends of time I can 
command. We have also organized an English department 
for the sons of English residents, and have received three stu¬ 
dents. Other Protestant families will probably send, and our 
institution may grow up into a college for Protestants of all 
classes, with a theological department in addition.” 

In the same letter, he speaks of the increased work 
of the press in the number of hooks issued, and of the 
greater attention to the preaching of the gospel. He 
also alludes to a new mode of persecution,— that of 
impressing for the navy Protestant Armenians, under 
the pretext of their being “ loafers” Several were thus 
impressed, while many remained in concealment. 

In writing to her sister a letter of acknowledgment 
for a box of clothing from friends in Bangor, Henrietta 
says: 

“The dresses for myself and children fit remarkably well. 
Since we have resided in this village, I find it almost impossi- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


223 


ble to get any assistance in my sewing, however much I may 
need it. Thus the seasons often come round before I am ready 
for them, till a friendly box like yours comes to my assistance. 
In the present instance, the articles are so much the things I 
need and would have selected, that it seems quite like a provi¬ 
dential supply of my wants. 1 am happy to feel that, having 
less to do for myself and family, I may do more for others.” 

In the summer of 1847 her mother frequently ex¬ 
presses her deep sense of the failure of her physical and 
mental powers: 

“ I will give you one specimen of what I often experience in 
various things. I sat down upon my bed to take off my 
clothes. I looked at my dress ; how it was to be taken off I 
could not see. I looked at the sleeves, and how they were to 
come off my arms seemed a mystery. I sat a long time, and 
could think of no way to take off my dress. Old age has a 
dismal train, I can assure you, dear Henrietta. 

“ Do you, my dear child, remember that your mother is 
almost four-score years old ? But even now I have as many 
ardent desires for your comfort as I had twenty years ago. 
This is matter of thankfulness, for some people at my age 
scarcely know their children. But I think not only of you, 
but of your dear little ones, with the most lively and tender 
emotions.” 

As Mrs. Jackson approached the boundaries of her 
mortal life, her mind often lingered in the past. The 
following extract shows with what vividness scenes 
long gone by were recalled before her : 

“ To-day, August 3, is the anniversary of Loraine’s death,— 
the sweetest, loveliest, most engaging of children. Just before 
she died, languishing and weak, having almost lost the power 
of speech, she exclaimed in an audible voice, and with a sweet 
smile, ‘ O, papa, I see up there those little children — those 


224 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


good little children — I see them! I see them! 1 Her father 
asked her where, but she could not answer, and I think she did 
not speak afterward 3.” 

Her mother then goes on to relate the circumstances 
which have been already narrated in the commence¬ 
ment of these Memorials,— that the little Loraine 
wished her baby-sister to have her name, and was 
grieved when she was refused, saying, “ I shan’t want 
my name,” but was at length satisfied with Henrietta. 

“ Henrietta (the mother continues in her letter) was the 
name of a most excellent and deeply-afflicted woman, in the 
days of martyrs. It was a singular providence that added 
Loraine’s name also. The Sabbath on which you were to be 
baptized she was taken violently ill, which prevented the bap¬ 
tism. In two weeks from the day when she said she should 
not want her name, she was lying a corpse in the room where 
I am now writing! 0, it seems as if it were but yesterday ! 

She is now before my eyes. But no, — she is not here ! Yon¬ 
der, beneath that verdant sod, her lovely form is mixed with 
common earth, but her spirit, I trust, is with God that gave it. 

* * * I hardly know what I have written. My thoughts 

have been with the dead rather than the living. I am sitting 
in the room where I sat with the dead, — I seem to be sitting 
with them now.” 

But neither did the failure of Mrs. Jackson’s powers, 
nor the thronging recollections of the past, abate in the 
least her deep interest in the noble cause of missions. 
“ If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand for¬ 
get her cunning ! ” This was the language of her life, 
the utterance of her heart. 


“ I seem to receive into my soul the mighty works that have 
been wrought in that dark empire within the space of eight 
years. I look back to the time when a few came to you in the 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


225 


silence of night for instruction. * # # * J have been 

reading the Acts of the Apostles, with a map of their journey¬ 
ing spread out before me. It seemed like a new history. How 
wonderful the method that God took to carry Paul to the island 
of Melitas, and detain him there three months with his com¬ 
panions, to teach those barbarians the knowledge of the true 
God! 

“ When you told me of your introduction to the Sultan, I 
thought such missionary intercourse with the Turks was as the 
handkerchiefs and aprons carried from Paul to the sick at 
Ephesus,—and who can tell but it may have a like blessed 
and healing effect ? ” 

The religious tolerance procured by Sir Stratford 
Canning, in 1844, was a great point gained. But the 
concessions made at that time to the demands of Eng¬ 
land were only verbal, and on any change in govern¬ 
ment there was a liability to the return of the old prin¬ 
ciple of intolerance. Under these circumstances, it was 
of the first importance to secure a charter formally 
acknowledging the rights of Protestants as a Christian 
sect. This was accomplished during the absence of 
Sir Stratford, in 1847, by the unwearied efforts of Lord 
Cowley. And, as no distinction of nationality was 
made, the principle established is as effectual for a 
proselyte from Mohammedanism as for one from a 
corrupt Christianity. This achievement has rendered 
the name of Lord Cowley illustrious, in common with 
that of his noble compeer, Sir Stratford Canning. In 
respect to this measure, Mr. Hamlin says: 

“We do not suppose that it is going to work smoothly at 
first. The Russian bear will growl, and bite the iron grates 
with which Divine Providence has wonderfully surrounded 
him; and Greeks, Papists and Armenians, will seek to subvert 
this measure ; but we firmly believe that the hand of God is in 
it, and that the power of man will be exerted in vain against 


226 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


it. The government has pledge*d itself to England, and the 
documents are already forwarded to the foreign office, and 
there is no going back. Protestant Christianity has now 
gained a great field for its efforts , and I trust for its victories. 
How much better to enter this field with the sword of the Spirit 
than to enter Mexico with carnage and death ! Let us labor 
faithfully, and wait patiently for the development of God’s great 
designs.” 

Among the hearts in America gladdened by this good 
tidings, none would rejoice with a purer joy than the 
mother of Mrs. Hamlin. 

Mrs. Jackson often spoke of herself as writing “ like 
a poor, broken-down woman,” but the specimens we 
have seen would do credit to the mind and heart of 
one in the full vigor of life. The following letter, 
which proved to be her last, is in no respect inferior to 
the others. Her words fall upon the heart, sometimes 
like the plaintive sighing of the autumnal trees, and 
again like a prophetic strain of tender and inspiring 
music. 


“ Dorset, May 9, 1848. 

“ Dear Children : More than a week of the month is gone, 
and I have not till now begun my letter. Not because I was 
forgetful, but because I was unable to do it; neither am I now 
able. For some weeks past I have had turns of extreme dis¬ 
tress, such as I used to have of heart-complaint. It seemed 
sometimes as if death must be very near. I am some better 
now, but I have no reason to believe that the cause is removed. 
Yet thinking of you and the dear little one, and remembeVing 
that this is your birth-day, I could not forbear beginning a letter, 
— and 0, how many things I want to say! * * * * * 

The world over seems to be filled with distress. The voice of 
tumult comes from the north and the south, from the east and 
the west. Political commotions are overturning the kingdoms 
of the eastern world, and even favored America is not free 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


227 


from agitation. The war-spirit rages fearfully in some bosoms, 
and they thirst for blood like vultures. What will become of 
you, if Russia is stirred up to take part in the general contest ? 
The Sultan has done so many good things, that I have been 
hoping God had blessings to bestow on him and his empire. 

“ Have you had information of what the Lord has been 
doing for France? Poor Switzerland! It seems as if she 
must be trodden down of the oppressor. The Yaudese Chris¬ 
tians — how great their persecutions! There infidelity shows 
its fierce spirit, and the enmity of the wicked against the 
righteous is manifested in all its malignity. Satan rages with 
increased fury when God is about to give a signal blow to his 
kingdom. I have been reading Fox’s history of the persecu¬ 
tions. And it is surprising to see the places where the gospel 
was then preached, and where apostles and Christians prayed 
and poured out their blood, after more than eighteen hundred 
years, visited, and the seed they sowed in tears and anguish 
spring up with astonishing vigor in the fields sprinkled with 
their blood. I think of Nicomedia, and am filled with admira¬ 
tion. In primitive days it was a place of Christians that loved 
the Saviour, and held fast his doctrines. But the vengeance 
of persecutors was wreaked upon them; their churches were 
laid in ruins, the worshippers crushed, and the earth drenched 
with their blood. Yet the prayers and tears that were poured 
out there more than fifteen hundred years ago the Lord hath 
not forgotten. He has remembered it as a consecrated spot, 
and has caused his church to rise again, as the phoenix from 
his own ashes. And Constantinople has not been pure from 
the blood of the martyrs. It is probable that it was to some 
island in the Sea of Marmora that the holy Martin was sent 
to be cut in pieces. But undoubtedly you have more extended 
knowledge of these things than I have; however, it will bring 
our minds to a participation of the same great event, and to 
meditate on the unsearchable depths of divine wisdom. 

“ I have wanted to prepare another box for you, but it has 
not been in my power; so in one case where there was a will 
there was not a way, — at least, it seemed so to me. But I 


228 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


have been trying to do what I can. I have knit two pairs of 
stockings for you and one pair for Mr. Hamlin, and I have two 
pairs done for the children. 

“ I want to know the ages of all the children. When you write 
again, don’t forget to tell me. You told me once that Susan cut 
a paper to send to grandma. Do send me something which 
they have had in their hands, and that their eyes have looked 
upon. 

“ May we be able to rejoice always, and all our rejoicing 
be in the Lord! This is the prayer of your aged and affec¬ 
tionate mother, Susanna C. Jackson.” 

Very soon after writing this letter, this devoted 
mother’s wearisome days and sleepless nights were 
numbered and finished. The same vessel which car¬ 
ried her last benisons to her distant children bore to 
them also the tidings of her departure from earth. In 
writing to her sister, Mrs. M., who communicated to 
her the sad news, Mrs. Hamlin says: 

“ The intelligence was totally unexpected. We had just 
received a letter from mother, which came in the same vessel 
with yours; and it was written with so much mental vigor, and 
with such a lively interest in everything that is taking place 
in the world, that it did not seem possible she could so soon 
pass away from it. ‘My mother dead!’ I said. ‘It cannot 
be ! ’ Have we no longer a mother to think of us, to love us, 
to write to us, and to pray for us ? How many things will 
remind me of her untiring love to us all! Her letters will be 
precious remembrancers of her. She has not failed to write us 
often. O, how we shall miss her letters! ” 

A little later she writes to her brother : 

“ Mother’s last letter indicated great mental activity. There 
was the same lively interest in everything which concerns us, 
and the same earnest solicitude for our children which she has 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


229 


ever manifested. And I had the expectation that she would 
live yet many years. Mrs. Brown, the sister of Com. Porter, 
who was with us last week, said, after having read mother’s 
letter, ‘ Is it possible that such a letter could have been written 
by a woman past seventy years ? ’ 

“ How I shall ever remember the peculiar and happy ex¬ 
pression of mother’s countenance, when seated at her writing- 
table ! It is a great thing to lose a mother, even after she has 
become aged and infirm, like ours. 

“ I am often saying to myself, * And shall I never receive 
another letter from my mother ? ’ It makes my heart ache to 
think how month after month and month after month is to 
pass without the accustomed letters.” 

Early the ensuing year, Mr. Hamlin writes: 

“ I have undertaken to build a church at the Prince’s Islands 
for Greek and Armenian Protestants, they giving the land. 
The building is to cost one thousand dollars. Have you no 
rich man who will give it ? I expect there is such a man or 
woman somewhere in the divine decrees, and I must soon try 
to find him or her out. 

“ I have one most cheering item of missionary news to give 
you. After all our despair and want of faith in regard to the 
Greeks, there seems to be a silent but truly spiritual work com¬ 
menced among them here in Constantinople. Eleven or twelve 
attend Mr. Goodell’s Turkish service, and at least three of 
them give good evidence of piety. One of them was some time 
since excommunicated, and recently the Greek patriarch—as 
much of an old fox as ever Herod was —laid a crafty and well- 
devised plan to have him banished, on false accusations, to one 
of the Greek convents of Mt. Sinai, where, of course, his race 
would soon be run. The firman was ready, and he was 
arrested at midnight to be sent away the next morning. But 
divine Providence, being considerably stronger than the Greek 
patriarch, put an unlooked-for obstacle in the way of his going 
that day, and the Protestant Armenians were enabled so far 
20 


230 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


to prove the fraud to the governor of the city that his h:nan 
of exile was countermanded, till the case could be tried before 
the supreme court of the empire. The Greek’s defence, and 
his fearless exposition of the idolatry of the Greek church, 
greatly interested and amused this august court of Turkish 
pashas and magnates. The presiding pasha, as the result, 
pronounced him innocent and free, but told him he must leave 
preaching to the ‘missionaries,’and that he must give bonds, 
not to preach himself. The Greek replied, ‘ No; I can give 
no such bonds without denying my faith, and being a hypocrite. 
He who knows the truth must proclaim it.’ ‘Yes,’ replied his 
highness, in a softened tone, ‘you may maintain the excellent 
precepts of the gospel, and tell how Christ was nailed to the 
cross for our sins, and such like things; but don’t call the Greek 
churches idolatrous temples, and your nation idolaters.’ ‘ 0, 
yes! ’ said the Greek; 4 1 will give bonds for this. It is just 
what is in my heart.’ He accordingly went home, glorifying 
God ; and all his family, who till now stood aloof, have joined 
him in the faith.” 


“ Bebek, Jan. 30th, 1850. 

“ My dear M.: I was truly glad to receive your letter, what¬ 
ever you may have inferred from my silence on the subject. 
It was more in the spirit of former years than most of the let¬ 
ters I receiye. It did me good. It warmed my heart and 
refreshed my spirits. I know you are not greatly changed, 
but, like myself, you have more serious cares and less time for 
letter-writing than formerly. 

“ About two years since, I injured my eyes very much by 
sewing and reading Armenian until a late hour at night. 
Since that time I have not been able to do much writing or 
sewing in the evening. 

“ I thank you for sending me such a fine picture of your 
family. It was almost as good as a daguerreotype. I had 
much pleasure in thinking that you would hear of us through 
a gentleman from B., who spent the summer in our family, 
and whom I engaged to visit you, and tell you all about us. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


231 


But he died in Athens soon after leaving us. The children 
had become very much attached to him, and the lamentation 
which they made when he left seems, on looking back, quite 
prophetic. 

“ I may have mentioned to you Mrs. Brown, sister of Com. 
Porter, former resident minister here. She is a most interest¬ 
ing lady, and a very good friend of ours. The long evenings 
we make when she comes to visit us often remind me of our 
sittings up to talk, when we had not seen each other for 
several weeks. 

“ At a large table in the centre of the room where I am 
writing sit Henry and Edward Schauffler, who, with Hen¬ 
rietta, are occupied with their drawing-lesson. Their teacher, 
who stands near, is an Austrian officer, late from the Italian 
wars. They are talking German, so that I am not much dis¬ 
turbed by their conversation. 

“ Never inquire whether I have read any particular book. 
My reading scarcely extends beyond the New York Observer 
and Evangelist. 

“We have just been having such a snow-storm as none of 
us have seen since we left New England. Large trees in our 
garden have been broken down by the weight of the snow; 
others are bending their white tops to the ground. Being 
covered with foliage, a great quantity of snow rested upon 
them. Mr. Schauffler says, ‘Does not this remind you of 
Andover ? ’ 

“ Mr. Marsh, our new ambassador, with his company, are 
detained in Italy by the illness of Mrs. Marsh. They will 
probably occupy a large house next door to us. 

“ There have lately been several conversions among the 
Greeks of Constantinople. There is such a state of things as 
seems to call for a missionary devoted particularly to them. 
Mr. Van Lennep will probably return as missionary to the 
Greeks. * * * * How can the heart endure such a 

scene as you were called to pass through ? I am sure it has 
little strength of its own to bear up under such a trial. May 
the hopes and consolations of our precious religion be yours, 


232 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


now and evermore ! May God bless you and yours, and keep 
you from sickness and death for many years to come.” 

The above is her last letter to her friend, and we 
believe the last but one that she ever wrote. 


















TESTIMONIALS OP FRIENDSHIP. 

DOMESTIC CHARACTER-TESTIMONY OF STUDENTS—LETTER FROM “ONE 

OF THE ANCIENTS”-EXCHANGE OF PLAYFUL LETTERS-OTHER TESTI¬ 
MONIALS-CHARACTER AS A MOTHER-PROSPECTS FOR USEFULNESS. 

“ The blessing of her quiet life 
Fell on us like the dew ; 

And good thoughts where her footsteps pressed 
Like fairy blossoms grew. 

Sweet promptings unto kindest deeds 
Were in her very look ; 

We read her face as one who reads 

A true and holy book.” J. G. Whittier. 


The year 1850 opened brightly upon the seminary at 
Bebek. The course of study was greatly extended and 
improved; the students, numbering forty, were gathered 
in from all quarters, and many of them manifested a 
personal interest in the simple religion of the gospel. 

The hostility of the inhabitants had passed away ; 
and several Greek families of high rank had, for some 
time, been on terms of pleasant social intercourse witli 
Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin. 

The purchase of their present residence for the use 
of the seminary had been a new and cheering era in 
their missionary history. After a series of movings, 
they now considered themselves permanently settled. 
And, if Mrs. H. had any lingering doubts as to hei 
sphere of action, those doubts were from this time 
ended. In placing the supervision of a household of 
nearly fifty in her hands, with oi unskilful and 
20 * 


</ 


•231 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


unfaithful servants to assist her, Providence had made 
her duty plain. Whatever desires she might feel to be 
engaged in more direct missionary effort, she was con¬ 
vinced that her missionary work was laid out in her 
large family. To this work she had consecrated her¬ 
self anew, and had entered upon it with a cheerful 
energy. Nor did she ever grow weary of well doing, 
or in the least remit her efforts to promote the comfort 
and improvement of every member of her numerous 
household. 

In the village she had come to be universally be¬ 
loved. A little instance shows the power of her gentle 
influence. Mr. Hamlin had made efforts to obtain 
workmen for some necessary repairs about the house, 
but everybody was engaged. He offered extra wages, 
but in vain; and at length concluded that he must do 
the work himself. Being obliged to go to the city one 
morning, what was his surprise, on returning at night, 
to find the work done ! His wife had gone to a master 
workman, and begged him to send two men for the day. 
“ For your sake, madam,” he replied. 

While she was thus esteemed in the neighborhood, 
the students in the family entertained for her the high¬ 
est regard and affection. Of those who have been in 
America, we have heard some of them speak of her in 
terms of the most enthusiastic admiration. 

It seems that the students occupied rooms directly 
over Mrs. Hamlin’s apartments. In mentioning this 
fact, says one of them, who for some years was a mem¬ 
ber of her family: 

“ Now, 1 think, in such a case everybody can easily imag¬ 
ine to how much annoyance and disturbance she was subjected, 
both day and night. She must have had great patience and 
self-denial to bear it without any complaint; because I am sure 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


235 


our own mothers could not bear it. It seemed strange to many 
that she should put herself in such a trying position, thus sep¬ 
arated from all other missionary families. But she was always 
cheerful, kind and persevering. Her character was often the 
subject of conversation among the scholars, and had a happy 
influence upon many minds.” 

He speaks of her kindness in case of sickness, and 
relates an instance where an own mother could not 
have been more devoted. 

“ Her retiring habits (he continues) did not limit her useful¬ 
ness. Her influence was by no means confined to the semi¬ 
nary, but was felt among almost all classes of people. She was 
beloved and honored both within the school and without it, and 
her memory will be cherished by all who knew her.” 

Another of these students speaks with enthusiasm of 
her 11 beautiful heart,” as displayed in her tender care 
of him in sickness, and her kind counsels when he left 
the country. 

Among Mrs. Hamlin’s domestic qualifications was a 
habit of strict economy, which, however, was far re¬ 
moved from parsimony, and never interfered with her 
benevolence. In the embarrassed state of the finances 

of the American Board, she exerted herself to the 

# 

utmost in the retrenchment of her family expenditures. 

It seems that on one occasion Mr. Hamlin had 
spoken more publicly than was his wont, and perhaps 
with something of a husband’s pardonable pride, of his 
wife’s rigid economy in all her household arrangements. 
His remarks, on coming to her knowledge, made her 
“ blush,” as she said in a note to a missionary friend, 
adding, “ for a wife should let her works praise her, and 
not her husband’s lips or letters.” 

This note drew forth the following characteristic 


236 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


reply, to which it is hardly necessary to add the signa¬ 
ture of her friend : 

“ And not only do * her own works praise her,’ but ‘ her hus¬ 
band also, and he praiseth her.’ And how can he help it, when 
he sees even his little ‘ children rise up and call her blessed ? ’ 
And when he feels that it is as ‘ her husland he is known in 
the gates, when he sitteth among the elders in the land,’ ‘ his 
heart doth safely trust in her;’ for he is assured that ‘ she will 
do him good, and not evil, all the days of her life ; ’ and he sees 
every day that she ‘ openeth her mouth with wisdom,’ and that 
‘ in her tongue is the law of kindness.’ Many missionaries’ 
wives, and ‘many daughters have done virtuously, but thou 
excellest them all,’ he says so often in his heart, that it some¬ 
times even escapes his lips. And, indeed, dear sister, not only he, 
but ‘ all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous 
woman.’ And although, such is poor human nature, our wives 
might not sit very contentedly to hear any other one of their 
number so very highly extolled, to the apparent disparagement 
of the rest, yet in this instance they lay their hand upon their 
mouth; they answer not; for they have too often seen your 
* household clothed in scarlet,’ and have too often partaken of 
your hospitality, not to perceive that the mistress of the family 
is one that * looketh well to the ways of her household, and 
eateth not the bread of idleness.’ And the writer of this has a 
very special remembrance of the pies, particularly the cold 
meat. And though a royal firman is found, requiring every 
•man to bear rule over his wife, yet no firman can be found in 
any history, ancient or modern, sacred or profane, which re¬ 
quires a man to abstain from praising his wife, either in or out 
of doors. I do not see, therefore, but she must submit to this 
grievance, although it may sometimes cause her to ‘ blush.’ 

“ One of the Ancients.” 

A missionary sister, on reading this note, pleasantly 
remarked that Mr. Goodell had used up all the canon¬ 
ical hooks on Mrs. Hamlin, and left nothing but the 
Apocrypha for them. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


237 


Another humorous letter, from the same source, with 
its playful reply, may not be out of place here. By 
way of explanation, however, it should be said that the 
missionaries had frequent business meetings, either at 
Pera or Bebek, and that some members of their fami¬ 
lies, particularly the younger ones, often accompanied 
them. On these occasions, refreshments of some kind, 
alluded to in the following letter as “ lunch,” were 
always provided. It may be added that the writer, 
with all his praise of cakes and pies, very rarely tastes 
of any such “ delectables.” 

“ Dear Sister in Christ : I do not find as any one in¬ 
quires after you, or knows anything about you; but I have too 
lively a remembrance of the pies, cakes, tarts and other delect- 
ables, to say nothing of the cold meat, which is, in fact, best of 
all, to allow you to slip so quietly out of all existence, while 
Bebek is only six miles distant. So I beg you will just drop 
me a line, or request your eldest daughter to do so, just to 
inform me whether you and your increased family are well and 
happy during all these weeks and months of incessant rain. 
Pray how do you contrive to keep any sort of life in yourselves ? 
We resort to calisthenics , I believe the word is, for in my boy¬ 
hood we never had occasion for such words or things. If any 
human power appointed the weather, I verily believe we should 
all rebel; but, it being regulated by One who cannot err, it 
is our duty and privilege to be submissive, contented and 
happy. 

“ With the kindest regards of us all to yourself and other 
self, and Henrietta and Elizabeth and Caroline and ‘ Keren 
Happuch ’ (the tnen unchristened and unnamed baby—Job 
42: 14), and with longing desire to take lunch with you, or 
have you all come here at lunch, I remain 

“ Most truly yours. 

“P. S.— Were the weather not so gloomy, I would try to 
write in 'poetry .” 


238 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


To this sprightly effusion Mrs. Hamlin replied : 

“ We cannot expect much from you, dear summer friends, 
when winter comes; but I hope that sunny skies will ere 
long bring you to Bebek. We shall be most happy to see 
you all, and to have you take lunch with us. Should I not 
be so fortunate as to have any of those ‘ pies, cakes, and other 
delectables,’ of which you retain such a vivid remembrance, 
still you shall be most welcome to the very best which the house 
affords. 

“ I feel greatly obliged for your kind remembrance of one 
whom you seem to regard as forgotten by all the rest of the 
world. I will not, however, beg your sympathy as for a poor 
sufferer; for, notwithstanding your neglect, I really cannot find 
time to feel solitary; and, besides, I have had many kind notes 
from other friends during your silence. 

“ As to * poetry,' we cannot doubt your capability in that line, 
notwithstanding the weather. I think I heard, some years 
since, of your successfully composing one line in Malta, but 
whether Constantinople has added the second I have not been 
informed. With love to all, 

“ Very sincerely yours, 

“ H. L. J. Hamlin.” 


To Mrs. Hamlin’s untiring, self-sacrificing efforts for 
her large family, the late Mrs. Wood bore the most 
# ample testimony. She related that, on her arrival at 
Constantinople, Mr. and Mrs. Hamlin were in that di¬ 
lapidated mansion which has been alluded to, and 
where they were so cramped for room as to be very 
uncomfortable. Yet, although Mrs. Hamlin’s health 
was feeble, and she was obliged to strain every nerve 
to meet the demands upon her, she never heard one 
word of complaint fall from her lips. 

Says the Rev. Dr. Anderson, one of the secretaries 
of the American Board : 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


239 


u She is one of two or three favorite illustrations of what a 
missionary’s wife, of very slender constitution, may do, who is 
cheerfully devoted to the cause, and has a mind to work and a 
sound judgment. I remember her as busily occupied with her 
needle. There was no pretension about her. The rooms were 
neat, the chairs in place, the linen clean and smooth, and the 
children properly clad, obedient and happy, while the guest 
felt himself attended to without being a burden. It is aston¬ 
ishing how much well-balanced and well-regulated and sancti¬ 
fied powers will accomplish in Christ’s service, when the 
motive-power is resolute and untiring.” 

Dr. Pomeroy, another secretary of the Board, who 
spent some days in their family, gives a similar testi¬ 
mony : “ What struck me the most forcibly, while 

under their hospitable roof, was the very pleasant, 
quiet and orderly way in which the affairs of the house 
were conducted.” 

It was a great pleasure to Mrs. Hamlin that she was 
able, in her last residence, to do more than ever before 
for the comfort of those under her roof. Nor were her 
kind ministrations limited to those of her own house¬ 
hold. 

Mrs. Wood often spoke of the constant and delicate 
attentions shown her while an invalid, both when resid¬ 
ing in the family, and afterwards, when boarding at the 
distance of some miles. Mrs. Hamlin was in the 
habit of preparing and sending to her, week after week, 
by the hand of Mr. Hamlin, those dainties so grateful 
to the sick, and which in that country cannot be pro¬ 
cured without great difficulty. Of these and similar 
kindnesses, continued through years of sickness and 
suffering, Mrs. Wood spoke with the warmest grati¬ 
tude. On parting from this beloved missionary sister, 
she said to her, “ I shall be afraid to hear from you, lest 
I should hear of your death from over-exertion.” On 


240 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


her dying bed Mrs. Hamlin recalled and repeated these 
significant words. 

This same lamented sister, Mrs. Wood, for a time 
intimately associated with Mrs. Hamlin on missionary 
ground, but who was obliged to return to this country 
on account of her health, has recently joined her, as we 
trust, in the rest of heaven. 

A letter to Mrs. Hamlin, from another missionary 
sister, bears the same pleasing testimony to her unre¬ 
mitted ministering kindness : 

“ My very dear Sister : 1 wish I could tell you how deeply 
your sisterly kindness and great generosity, in sending me so 
many delicacies by my husband, have affected me. As we 
unpacked them I could hardly help shedding tears. I was 
before this under great obligations to you for many favors, 
which I have never had an opportunity of requiting in any 
form, nor of showing you that I had not forgotten the many 
ways in which you and your dear husband made my visit to 
you delightful. And now you have been doing the same 
things for my husband, and then preparing a load of delicacies 
for him to bring me. I must be willing, I see, to let you 
enjoy the greater pleasure of giving, though the receiving, in 
my feeble state, is not a small one. I do thank you, my dear 
sister, more than I can express, for everything; nor shall I ever 
forget your many kindnesses. May the Lord bless you and 
yours abundantly, for your efforts in adding so much to the 
comfort and happiness of 

“ Your at present feeble sister, 

“ C. M. L.” 

The intellectual and moral, no less than the physical 
development of her children, was to Mrs. Hamlin a 
matter of unspeakable interest, and occupied her most 
anxious thoughts. 

Three things she often remarked upon as of primary 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


241 


importance in early training: that children should be 
made happy; that they should be truthful, cherish¬ 
ing a constant sense of responsibility to God and their 
parents ; and that they should be fed with nothing but 
truth. She would allow of no implied deception. 

Careless and indiscriminate reading she felt to be a 
great and prevalent evil. And, to prevent this, before 
putting any book into the hands of her children, she 
first read it herself, carefully guarding them against 
any false impressions. She often found books, written 
for children, so destitute of any prominent and leading 
object, that she laid them aside as unsuited for their 
perusal. In looking over the journals of the day, she 
marked whatever could afford her aid. Every example 
of self-sacrifice was used in a way to impress the heart. 
Kindness to the poor and needy, and to everything that 
has life, was taught as a primal virtue. She was de¬ 
lighted with a passage from Silliman’s Journal , closing 
as follows : 

“ The child who is indulged in mutilating or killing 
an insect, for his own pleasure, has learnt the first 
lesson of inhumanity to his own species.” 

Never had there been a time when the prospect for 
Mrs. Hamlin’s usefulness and happiness in her work 
was more promising than at the commencement of the 
present year. Not only was the temporal condition of 
the seminary very flourishing, but the students mani¬ 
fested a deep interest in the objects of the mission. In 
a letter, dated July 25 th, says Mr. Hamlin : 

“ Oar students, the past year, earned in our workshops be¬ 
tween three and four hundred dollars, and they gave at the 
monthly concert, and to other benevolent objects, one hundred 
dollars — a quarter of their income. Our manual-labor depart¬ 
ment is quite prosperous. At some other time I will give you 
21 


242 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


an account of our various branches of industry, which are too 
numerous to mention in a brief space. We have some idea 
of being represented in the World’s Convention of the Arts.” 

In this same letter was made the first announcement 
of his wife’s sickness. But he little knew what cup 
his Father’s hand was mingling for him; he little 
dreamed that her sun was to go down at noon ! 


SICKNESS, TRIALS AND STRUGGLES. 


“ If now thou wilt her soul require, 

0 ! sit as a refiner’s fire. 

And purge it first from sin ! 

Thy love hath quicker wings than death,— 

The fulness of thy Spirit breathe. 

And bring thy nature in ! ” 

On the 26th of July, 1850, Mrs. Hamlin, with all 
the children, was attacked by a violent influenza. The 
dangerous illness of little Caroline awakened deep anx¬ 
iety on the part of her parents. For twenty hours out 
of the twenty-four, during three or four successive days, 
her father drew her in her light carriage around the 
large hall, as the only way in which she could be 
soothed. 

On the 29th their fifth daughter was born to them. 
The mother’s cough was relieved, and hopes were enter¬ 
tained of her speedy restoration to health. But this 
prospect was of short continuance. The cough soon 
returned, accompanied with ominous night-sweats. 
Various medical prescriptions were tried, but without 
effect. 

Hoping that a change of air might prove advan¬ 
tageous, on the 29th of August, Mr. Hamlin took his 
family to the Princes Islands, in the Sea of Marmora, 
where they had formerly resided for a time, with great 
benefit to their health. They remained for a few days 
at a ho l el at Prinkipo, and with apparent advantage 


244 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


to the invalid. But, as their expenses at that place were 
great, they removed to Halki, a neighboring island, 
taking the same house which they had formerly occu¬ 
pied. It was a lovely morning when they left their 
hotel and entered a boat for a sail of about twenty 
minutes. Mrs. Hamlin, borne in a sedan contrived by 
her husband, was greatly refreshed by the sea-breezes. 
When about half-way across, a sudden squall struck 
them, blowing the sedan into the water. After a time 
they recovered it, but the sea had become so rough 
that it was with great difficulty they could proceed. 
The children were alarmed, and the servants called 
upon the Holy Virgin to come quickly to their deliver¬ 
ance. Chilled and wet with the spray, they at length 
reached the landing. 

Notwithstanding this unfavorable passage, Mrs. 
Hamlin apparently derived great benefit from the sea- 
air, and so far regained her strength as to be able to 
resume some of her household cares. Then came on a 
season of stormy winter weather, which increased her 
cough, and occasioned a return of sickness to the chil¬ 
dren. Thus, instead of that health which they had 
hoped to gain in this recruiting season, disease rushed 
in upon them like a flood. After a week of intense 
anxiety, in which they despaired of the life of one of 
their little ones, the children began to recover. But 
the mother’s strength was prostrated. They remained 
at Halki a month, and then returned, disappointed in 
their sanguine expectations. But hope did not yet 
desert them. 

In the blue Mediterranean, off the coast of Asia 
Minor, lies the beautiful island of Rhodes, whose 
salubrious climate makes it a delightful resort for inva¬ 
lids. Here, in her last sickness, came Mrs. Sarah L. 
Smith, when shipwrecked on her passage to Smyrna. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


245 


And hither Mr. Hamlin was advised to take his feeble 
wife, in the faint hope that its balmy breezes might 
prove beneficial to her declining health. 

On the 5th of October they sailed from Bebek, hav¬ 
ing been first commended by the assembled missionary 
circle to the loving-kindness of their God. The pas¬ 
sage seemed to produce the most favorable effect; 
indeed, the change in Mrs. Hamlin’s appearance was so 
striking as to arrest the attention of a fellow-passenger, 
who expressed the opinion that her recovery was 
already secured. 

As they approached the island, the waves were dash¬ 
ing against the gray rocks at the foot of the ancient 
battlements, or rolling and breaking upon the long, 
sandy shore. They entered the harbor at half-past six 
on Tuesday evening, the 8th of October. As Mrs. 
Hamlin descended the cabin stairs alone, she remarked 
that she 11 had never expected to have so much strength 
again.” 

Very early the next morning, Mr. Hamlin went on 
shore, and was so fortunate as to obtain the only desir¬ 
able situation which the city afforded, and which, half 
an hour later, he would have lost. One or two showers 
of rain fell while he was removing their luggage, after 
which the clouds broke away and the rain ceased. 
Placing the invalid in her rocking-chair, lashed to two 
poles, they bore her through the old street of the knights, 
to the house from which she was no more to go out 
till the day of her death. A few scattering drops fel 
on them from the clouds, and she probably took addi¬ 
tional cold. During the day, however, she seemed un¬ 
usually well, but fatigued herself with unpacking while 
Mr. Hamlin was obtaining supplies. 

In many respects Providence now seems to smile 
upon this family. They have obtained a pleasant sit- 
21 * 


246 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


uation. The house next their own is occupied by an 
attentive and experienced physician, Chevalier Heden- 
borg, from Sweden, a man of science, having for 
his attainments been knighted by his king. He and 
his wife, being victims of consumption, were residing 
upon this sunny isle as a means of prolonging their 
life. The near vicinity of so eminent a physician is 
no small blessing, and the warmest gratitude of Mrs. 
Hamlin’s friends will ever be due to the Chevalier and 
his lady for their unremitting attentions and kindness 
to her and her family. The comforts and delicacies so 
desirable for the sick are easily obtained from the city. 
The climate is delightful, the temperature of their room 
not varying more than two or three degrees during the 
twenty-four hours. And the pure and balmy air is 
laden with health. A brighter day seems dawning, but 
it is only to set in darkness. 

That night it rained heavily, and, although their own 
room remained dry, yet some parts of the house were 
flooded. During the same night Mrs. Hamlin’s most 
discouraging symptoms returned. The next morning 
she said, “I feel very weak. I fear the effect of the 
voyage is all over.” She then turned her head to weep, 
but immediately became composed. After a few anx¬ 
ious days of alternation between improvement and 
relapse, the dear sufferer expressed her conviction that 
all their efforts were fruitless. A difficult task was it 
then for the afflicted father to control the grief of those 
weeping children. 

One morning, Henrietta, the eldest, nearly eleven 
years of age, said to him, “ Father, when I pray for 
mother dear, I never know when to stop.” At another 
time, he overheard Susan, the second daughter, not quite 
eight, entreating, “ O God! spare my dear mother! 
Malte her well again, or my tears will never, never 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


247 


cease to flow. O, I shall never be happy again another 
moment of my life ! ” One day she asked him, “ Father, 
does not God always hear prayer?” “ Yes, my 
child.” “ Then why does not mother dear get well ? I 
have prayed a great deal, and you and Henrietta have 
prayed, and yet God does not hear us. Why does he 
not hear us ? O ! I fear mother will die ! ” Poor 
child! She had not as yet learned God’s various 
methods of answering prayer. She then wept convul¬ 
sively for a long time, refusing to be comforted. After¬ 
wards, on observing that her mother was sitting up and 
looking cheerful, her childish heart concluded that all 
danger was past, and her joy was as unbounded as had 
been her grief. Thus did they pass from weeping to 
gladness. 

And now let us look at the circumstances of this 
beloved missionary family, and observe, as we follow 
their history, how, in all their “ hard and difficult 
ways,” God made their “ shoes to be iron and brass.” 
They are not only far from their native land and their 
beloved kindred, but they are exiles from the land of 
their adoption, and from the cherished missionary circle 
there. A sick and dying wife is dependent on Mr. 
Hamlin’s care, and five children are hourly looking to 
him for comfort. Owing to the superstitious dread 
entertained of Mrs. Hamlin’s disease, no permanent 
assistance can be obtained. A part of the time they 
were indeed able to hire a woman to come in and cook 
their dinner, but no consideration could induce her to 
undertake the washing of the family. And so great was 
her dread of infection, that a bowl from the sick cham¬ 
ber, which Mr. Hamlin had himself washed, but acci¬ 
dentally left in the kitchen, she instantly broke in 
pieces. Thus, for a great part of the time, they iiad no 
servant but the infant’s nurse,— a woman of diabolical 


248 


MEMOIRS OF PtIRS. HAMLIN. 


temper. The mother, repelled by her countenance, had 
at first, with her instinctive judgment, felt unwilling to 
commit the tender infant to her care. But, yielding to 
what seemed inevitable, she finally acquiesced in the 
decision to take her, hoping for the best. Hardly, how¬ 
ever, had they arrived at Rhodes, than they discovered 
that they had intrusted their darling to a monster. She 
cursed her folly in coming there, she cursed the phy¬ 
sician for sending them there, she cursed Mr. Hamlin 
for bringing her there, she cursed everybody and every¬ 
thing. The poor children often fled in terror from her 
furious exhibitions of passion and her blasphemous 
imprecations. It was impossible to exchange her, and 
thus, during their stay at Rhodes, they were at the 
mercy of this infuriate woman. 

Other difficulties, too, threaten him : 

“ I was (he says) her only nurse during most of the time at 
Rhodes. I had milk to bring every day about a mile, in one 
direction; then bread and medicine from more than a mile’s 
distance in other directions, with drinking-water from over 
half a mile ; and yet I felt that I must always be with her. I 
went on those errands with the utmost speed, always passing 
through the Turkish quarter of the city. The Turkish boys 
began to make my passing post-haste every day a matter of 
ridicule. I bore it, little heeding, till one day a stone was 
thrown. I knew at once that it would soon come to mobbing 
me, and I determined to keep that street open, if it should 
hazard my life. I dashed at them with a fury which they 
mistook, I think, for a design to take their lives, though 
I did not touch, nor intend to touch, a hair of their heads. 
Any one that has lived among Turks will feel that I did 
right.” 

How is this husband and father to endure these 
ceaseless labors and vigils and these harrowing anx- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


249 


ieties, having for three months no regular sleep, and 
unrefreshed by Christian intercourse ? How shall he be 
sustained in these trials, and not sink under them, body 
and soul ? In the midst of such scenes he is enabled to 
write, “ It is good to be in the hands of God. I feel 
that He is dealing with us in faithfulness ; and though 
He seems to crush us, yet, in the end, we shall bless his 
holy name.” 

And how did the affectionate wife, the tender and sen¬ 
sitive mother, contemplate the leaving her companion 
desolate, and her little ones motherless, in that strange 
land ? As was afterwards remarked by a missionary 
sister, “ All would have said that, of all their circle, 
Mrs. Hamlin and her tender charge could least endure 
the blow.” 

It is matter of deep regret that, owing to the peculiar 
circumstances named above, Mr. Hamlin was unable to 
keep a journal during the sickness of his wife. Such 
a record would have been invaluable, preserving many 
items of deep interest. In the want of it, we must 
gather our materials from the various letters written by 
Mr. Hamlin. 

It seems that in the early part of her sickness, and 
some time before she had intimated it to her husband, 
she had the feeling that it might prove her last sickness. 
Even before she went to the Princes Islands, thoughts 
of death at times almost overpowered her; and while 
there she experienced great mental conflicts. Vivid 
conceptions of God ? s infinite holiness pressed upon her. 
And as in the view of that holiness, and in the dawning 
light of eternity, she searched her own heart, her sense 
of sin and her consequent distress for herself were such, 
that Mr. Hamlin at times feared for the effect upon her 
exhausted system. In addition to this was her anxiety 
for her children. The thought of leaving them motherless 


250 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


brought at times such agony to her soul, that he felt it 
must speedily terminate her life. Nor is it strange that 
nature should have failed in this hour of extremity. 
How could this mother think of a separation from her 
five little daughters, whose life seemed bound up in her 
life, and that too when they most needed her forming 
hand ? 

And yet, during this heart-rending conflict, she 
had seasons of sweet enjoyment. As had been her 
custom, she still devoted much time to reading the 
Bible, and to communion with God. As Mr. Hamlin 
observed her struggles and her progress, it seemed to 
him that she might be passing through a discipline pre¬ 
paratory for a speedy entrance into her rest,— a 
thought which, while it gave him joy, yet also filled 
him with a foreboding sadness. But. notwithstanding 
the occasional gleams of sunshine, her conflicts still 
continued. It was not only for her children’s sake 
that she desired recovery. In her view, her greatest 
earthly usefulness and happiness were about to 
begin. Both the Greek and the Armenian languages 
had become pleasant to her, and she had many com¬ 
forts in their permanent home, no longer removing 
from place to place. Her children were at a most 
interesting age to gratify a mother’s love and reward 
her care. She had also new views of the desirableness 
of living wholly for God and for heaven. She felt that 
she had been too much occupied with what was 
merely outward and prospective in the missionary 
yvork, and she longed to consecrate herself anew to that 
work. Thence she earnestly desired recovery, and 
wished Mr. Hamlin to make it a subject of fervent and 
unceasing supplication. She referred to instances on 
holy record where prayer for the continuance of life 
was answered. And though she often made remarks 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


251 


which looked forward to her death, yet she clung to 
prayer as her only hope for the continuance of life. 

Her expressions of penitence on account of her sins 
were frequent and full. She took great delight in the 
fifty-first Psalm. “It is,” she said, “a wonderful pro¬ 
duction, expressing everything which the Christian 
needs,— confession, penitence, desire after holiness and 
communion with God, and joy in the conversion of 
sinners, and in the general prosperity of the church.” 

While her distress on her own account gradually 
passed away, her concern for her children seemed only 
to increase. When she saw the elder ones at times 
almost frantic with grief at the thought that she might 
never recover,—when she saw them spend many hours 
every day in earnest entreaties for her life,— her yearn¬ 
ings over them were indescribable, and she felt almost 
like her weeping daughter, as if God must hear their 
prayers. It seemed as if death could not sunder such 
sacred ties. For the younger ones she felt a still more 
irrepressible anxiety, and her pleadings with Heaven in 
their behalf were importunate. 

Nor did prayer ascend from these aching hearts 
alone. Many were the supplications made for them by 
their sympathizing missionary friends. Separated 
from them as they were, they were yet encircled by 
an unbroken band of intercessory prayer. And al¬ 
though, to a cold observer, these petitions might seem 
to fall back as from gates of brass, yet not in vain did 
they besiege the ear of the Most High. At their im¬ 
portuning cries, the heavens were bowed down to them. 
Enclosed as they were within a fiery furnace, seven 
times heated, they were not consumed; for a form, 
like unto the Son of God, was with them in the midst 
thereof. 


252 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


“ 0, cheer thee, cheer thee, though the flame 
Consume thy wasting, suffering frame ! 

His gold shall suffer harm nor loss, 

He will but purge away the dross, 

And fit it, graced with many a gem, 

To form his glorious diadem.” 




SEVERE CONFLICT.—NEW CONSE¬ 
CRATION AND ASSURANCE OF 
FAITH. 


“ Now, bowed in lowliness of mind, 

I make my humble wishes known ; 

I only ask a will resigned, 

0 Father, to thine own.” J. G. Whittier. 


The thoughts and feelings of Mrs. Hamlin were 
gradually concentrated into the engrossing desire for 
entire resignation to the will of God, and for faith, not 
only to perceive Christ to be her righteousness, but 
actually to receive and appropriate him as her own. 
And this was granted. Under the deep conviction of 
her sinfulness, she had said, with great solemnity, 
“ How dreadful the thought of going into eternity and 
meeting a frowning God !” Through the grace of the 
Redeemer she could now at times say, “ How cheering 
that a poor sinner may look forward to a gracious God 
and a glorious heaven as his portion ! ” 

Notwithstanding the discouraging aspect of her 
health, there had been still, on the part of all, a clinging 
to the hope of restoration. Their kind and excellent 
physician had said, “ Wait, and see what will be the 
effect of the climate.” Day after day passed by, and 
they were still suspended between hope and fear. But 
on the 19th of October the most alarming symptoms 
appeared. The dear invalid was utterly prostrated, 
and abandoned the last hope of recovery. She had 
22 


254 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


before supposed that if she continued to faL it would 
be gradually, and that she might linger many months; 
but she now felt death to be very near. That day and 
the following night she had strong conflicts of spirit. 
And, as the curtain shrouding the mysteries of the eter¬ 
nal world seemed lifting before her, for a moment she 
covered her eyes, as if fearing to look within the vail. 
Unbelief wrestled hard with faith, but the struggle was 
brief. She was at length enabled to make an entire 
and unconditional surrender of herself and her family 
into the hands of God. He blessed her with the sweet 
assurance that this consecration was accepted, thus 
bringing her into the only place of repose. She had, 
through the strength of Christ, made the very highest 
attainment which it is possible for the human soul to 
reach,— the entire abnegation of self. Such a holo¬ 
caust is the most acceptable of all sacrifices, and 
secures God's richest blessing. Thus did it now prove. 
Her Saviour placed upon her finger the charmed ring 
of the promises, to be no more removed till she had 
passed into a state of full and eternal fruition. Her 
agitated soul had found its centre, and it was hence¬ 
forth at rest. She said of herself that formerly her will 
had been a most rebellious one,— that circumstances 
occurring through human agency she had been unwil¬ 
ling to regard with submission, not receiving them as 
the expression of her heavenly Father’s will. Now she 
had ceased to regret anything in the past. The minut¬ 
est circumstances, and the many disappointments 
attending her sickness, she was enabled entirely to 
acquiesce in, as ordered by infinite love. 

She expressed great interest in the seminary at Bebek, 
and hoped that her husband would “ always remember 
how infinitely important were the eternal interests of 
the scholars,— that the conversion of one soul was 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


255 


worth more than all possible external prosperity.” She 
earnestly desired that “ those engaged in the missionary 
enterprise might become more and more spiritual, think¬ 
ing less of what was merely secular and external in 
their work, and more of the nearness of eternity and 
the momentous interests of the soul.” There had 
been so much prayer offered for her, that she regarded 
it as a pledge that God would bless to the survivors 
the taking away of one of their number. 

The bitterness of this last struggle had been the 
giving up of her children. “ Death,” she said, “is 
taking me by surprise, and how much have I yet to 
say to my dear children ! O, that I might be spared 
to finish my work with them ! Their grief and anx¬ 
iety, so much beyond their years, have too long pre¬ 
vented me from commencing my last work.” She had 
greatly desired, before she should leave the world, to 
have evidence that the two elder were renewed by the 
Spirit of God. Thinking she should live but a very few 
days, she began at once to talk to them of their duties 
in the family when she should no longer be with them. 
This brought so vividly to their hearts the idea of a 
separation from their mother, that, although they had 
so often wept and prayed over it, it seemed as though 
it had never before occurred to them as a possibility. 
And now, when they first realized that the time was 
very near, a scene of anguish took place to which no 
language can do justice. In the words of their father : 

“ They fell at their mother’s feet in a perfect agony of 
grief, — they kissed her, and begged her to forgive them all 
their unkindness and disobedience. It was in vain she assured 
them of her entire forgiveness, — that they had always been 
very good and dear children. They mentioned many ways in 
vhich tl 3 y must have grieved her. And they said that some- 


256 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN, 


times, even when they had obeyed her, they had wished that 
they were grown up, so that they could do as they pleased, 
and have no one to control them. This seemed to them an 
awful sin, and unpardonable both in the sight of God 
and in the heart of their mother. They wrung their hands 
with anguish; they fell again and again upon the floor at her 
feet, and persisted in making every form of confession that 
could be thought of, sometimes entreating their mother and 
sometimes entreating God to forgive them. Such an example • 
of penitential, whole-hearted confession from the lowest depths 
of the soul, I never before witnessed. They were at length 
calmed, in some measure, by their mother’s repeated assurance 
of pardon and love, and that death need only separate them a 
little while. I afterwards heard them praying alone, interced¬ 
ing in a strain of agony and impassioned feeling for the life of 
their dear mother. Susan was sometimes merely giving ex¬ 
pression to her grief, saying, ‘ My tears shall never cease to 
flow. I shall never see another happy day! O Lord ! let me 
die and go to heaven with my dear mother ! ’ Through all 
this scene, with the exception of a few moments, the dear 
mother was calm and serene as an angel. When their grief 
had become sufficiently moderated, she told them that in order 
to obtain forgiveness from God they must go to Him as they 
had come to her. She forgave them, even before they asked, 
and could remember nothing against them, because she knew 
what ardent love they had for her. Even so must they love 
God, and fear to displease Him, and earnestly desire his love 
and forgiveness, or they would never be forgiven. And she 
told them that to have such feelings, if they had them not, 
they must seek for the aid of the Holy Spirit. Her conversa¬ 
tion took a powerful hold of them. Henrietta seemed to obtain 
peace and hope of pardon and resignation very easily. Her 
countenance, though distorted by weeping, became so singu¬ 
larly mild and resigned, that I could think of nothing but that 
storm when Jesus said, ‘ Peace, be still! ’ His presence 
seemed to fill the place.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


257 


He afterwards adds : 

“ Henrietta has ever since appeared cheerful and serene in 
the family, though often her tears fall fast, and I hear her 
weeping alone. Little Susan frequently comes to me to help 
her pray for forgiveness and for the influences of God’s Spirit. 
Their mother often cautioned me against being satisfied with 
anything but the clearest evidence of a sincere, humble, obe¬ 
dient life, that they are the children of God. The fourteenth 
chapter of John she gave them to commit to memory, both 
because it contained words of comfort which they would 
afterwards feel, and as expressing her dying counsels, showing 
most plainly that there is no true piety where there is not love 
and obedience.” 

Her sense of unworthiness was very great. She 
could only say, “ God be merciful to me a sinner.” 
That faithful saying, that Jesus Christ came into the 
world to save sinners, was her only ground of hope. 
And “O!” she added, “ what a sinner have I been! 
It seems to me that I have been the very chief of sin¬ 
ners. I have come short in all things. I have sinned 
against great light, for I knew my Master’s will at an 
early age, and he called me when very young.” But 
through these troubled waters she had been borne along 
to the ocean of infinite love, and her peace was hence¬ 
forth like a river. 

Her views of God’s dealings with her were delight¬ 
ful. During her sickness, they had for most of the 
time been secluded from the sympathy and intercourse 
of Christian friends. God had baffled all their pur¬ 
poses, disappointed their hopes, and at every turn had 
stood in their path, calling upon them to submit to his 
will. She felt that it was good to be thus dealt with, 
that it was just what she needed, and her heart yielded 
its entire and full consent to the Divine sovereignty. 

22 * 


258 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


For a few days after this, Mrs. Hamlin, though very 
weak, was able to converse a great deal in a perfectly 
clear and sweet voice. During this time she gave many 
directions to her children in regard to their future 
duties, assigned mementos to her husband and chil¬ 
dren and to her friends in America, and conversed 
much about the future arrangements of the family. 
“ Let home,” she said, “ be the centre of the dear chil¬ 
dren’s happiness. Let them ever have a father’s heart 
to come to with all their childish griefs and joys.” In¬ 
cidentally she mentioned that in regard to two points 
she had endeavored to exercise great care. One was, 
to communicate religious truth free from all cant and 
stereotyped forms of expression, which often mislead the 
mind, or leave an indefinite, ill-defined impression. It 
should be the parents’ direct aim, she thought, to have 
their children feel that all true religion consists in lov¬ 
ing, fearing and obeying. 

The other point was the inculcation of the sacred 
observance of the Sabbath. A Sabbath carelessly 
spent she regarded as directly demoralizing, and she 
felt that the irreligious conduct of many children of 
pious parents might properly be traced to this source. 

She looked forward to the time when her children 
would be obliged to go to America to complete their 
education, and hoped their father would then keep up a 
regular and frequent correspondence with them. She 
considered all these things in their relation to eternity, 
remarking that a happy family, loving and sympathiz¬ 
ing with each other, so as to have little need of foreign 
sources of happiness, was more likely to be a Christian 
family than if the degree of love and sympathy were 
less. She seemed to regret that she could not throw 
the mantle of her love over all their future course, till 
she met them in heaven above. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


259 


Her power of self-control, when thus exhausted by- 
sickness and suffering, was remarkable. On one occa¬ 
sion, when Mr. Hamlin was writing to missionary 
friends at Constantinople, he said to her, “ What mes¬ 
sage will you send?” She replied, “ Give them my 
love, and say that I shall soon send my farewell,” im¬ 
mediately bursting into tears. But she instantly 
regained her composure, observing, “A sudden thought 
sometimes affects us unexpectedly.” 

God’s grace was indeed triumphing in her. It was 
a sublime sight,— that anxious and sensitive and lov¬ 
ing woman calmly awaiting her departure, and with 
her own clear-sighted judgment making arrangements 
for the temporal and spiritual good of her dear ones. 

On the 25 th of the month, that fainting, dying 
mother, with a strange serenity, measured off dresses 
for her children, to be made after she was gone. It 
was her last work. Nor was this all. With the most 
astonishing self-command, she expressed her wishes 
about her funeral. 

She had an impression, on first landing at Rhodes, 
that the island was to be the place of her burial. The 
thought of being interred so far away from all she loved 
had filled her with gloom. But this feeling had long 
passed away. And now, entering at once into all the 
peculiar exigences of the case, unwilling that needless 
trouble should be given to the kind friends God had 
raised up for them in that strange land, and wishing 
that, after her death, her husband might be able to 
devote his whole time to his motherless flock, she re¬ 
quested that when her spirit had departed he would 
simply wrap the body in a linen sheet which she desig¬ 
nated. The arrangements for her burial she wished 
him to make while he could still leave her,—a most 
affecting request, with which he at once complied. 


260 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


With the kind assistance of Mr. Kerr, the English con¬ 
sul, he selected her grave in the Greek church-yard. 

At the same time, she expressed the desire that after 
a suitable time, if it could be done with hut little ex¬ 
pense, her remains should be removed to the Pera cem¬ 
etery. She felt that it would be a mournful satisfac¬ 
tion to her bereaved husband and children to visit her 
grave, and there recall her last words of affection. 
When Mr. Hamlin, in reply, expressed the determina¬ 
tion not to leave her remains in Rhodes, with her usual 
foresight she perceived the obstacles that he would be 
obliged to encounter, especially with the care of his 
five motherless children. Under these circumstances, 
she begged him not to attempt to take her remains with 
him. on his return to Constantinople. 

After dictating several directions with regard to the 
children’s winter clothing, and sending a special mes¬ 
sage to the Armenian circle in Portland, she said, “ I 
think of nothing more that I can do for my family. I 
have now done with earth. The little time that remains 
I wish to devote to preparing myself and children for 
heaven.” In the evening she found her strength pros¬ 
trated, but was peaceful and happy in mind. The 
dear children quietly sat down to their evening meal, 
expressing their willingness that God should take their 
beloved mother from this world of sin, and leave them 
desolate and afflicted, till He should call them to follow 
her. That night they lay down to rest a happy fam¬ 
ily, for the peace of God reigned in their hearts. 

0 ! sweet it is, my soul, to know 
No other will than His ! 

This is the life-spring’s peaceful flow, 

This is the heaven of bliss. 


THE BAPTISM. 

“ Saviour, on her young heart sprinkle 
Thine atoning, precious blood ; 

Like her brow, nor spot nor wrinkle 

Be upon her soul, my God ! ” G. W. Bethune. 

On the morning of the Sabbath, death seemed to have 
commenced his last attack. A sense of prostration, and 
an internal failing of all the powers of life, made her 
feel that she was near her home. 

She was placed upon pillows in her rocking-chair 
near the window. Her person was emaciated to the last 
degree, and her lips pale and parted in her pantings for 
breath; yet her eye was bright and beaming, and her 
countenance sweet and calm. They had desired to 
have the baptism of their infant in the morning; but 
the dear sufferer was struggling for breath, and com¬ 
mitting her soul to Him who holds the keys of death 
and the invisible world. Towards noon she was re¬ 
lieved, and about one o’clock the holy rite was per¬ 
formed. A little china bowl had been procured for the 
baptismal font, and, as they had no table, a white 
napkin was spread upon a rude stand. Here were 
gathered the dying mother, the afflicted father and 
their five little daughters. There was nothing exter¬ 
nally imposing in this scene, but to the eye of faith 
invisible spectators were there,— an innumerable cloud 
of witnesses, to behold that mother’s last offering. 
Especially was He present,— the Shepherd of Israel,— 


262 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


in pity and in love. And who could say that the de¬ 
parted grand-parents were not with them in that 
hour 1 

The meaning of the sacred ceremony being ex¬ 
plained to the two elder children, they solemnly pledge 
themselves to perform to their little sister the duties of 
a mother, so far as their childhood and inexperience 
will allow. The holy Scriptures are read, the blessing 
of God implored, and then, at the mother’s request, the 
infant for the last time is laid in her arms. Again they 
kneel to pray. But the fountains of grief are broken 
up; and, while the little Mary is smiling and happy, 
and the mother serene and calm, the father weeps aloud 
with his weeping children. After a time, he can only 
plead “ Jesus wept.” But they rise not from their 
knees till he has earnestly besought the good Shepherd 
that He would look with an eye of loving mercy upon 
this lamb of the flock, and take it into his own fold. 
The soul of the mother meantime had reached a higher 
sphere. It was far above the human sympathies which 
pierced and crushed their hearts, and, though dissolved 
in pleading for the blessings of the everlasting covenant 
upon her child, not a tear dimmed the serenity of her 
countenance. The napkin and bowl, thus rendered 
sacred, she placed together, wishing to have them pre¬ 
served as mementos of that scene. 

Lay the mother’s tender blossom 
Gently on her loving bosom ; 

Slowly comes that mother’s breath, 

Gathers fast the cloud of death. 

Soon her precious one she leaveth, 

Yet her heart unto it cleaveth. 

'W ho its infancy will bless ? 

Must she leave it motherless ? 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


263 


But’t is God her faith is testing, 

And on God her soul is resting; 

He has calmed her anguish wild, — 
Now to Him she brings her child. 

Silent is her earnest pleading, 

For her darling interceding ; 

On her placid brow the while 
Beaming a celestial smile. 

Speechless grief his spirit rending, 

O’er that babe the father’s bending ; 
Holy drops he sprinkles now 
On its smiling, happy brow. 

When the Triune names are blended, 
And the sacred rite is ended, 

Low he bends in fervent prayer 
For the gentle Shepherd’s care. 

Yet that prayer is all unspoken, — 
Tears and sobs his words have broken; 
Father, now his soul sustain ! 

Let him seek Thee not in vain! 

Little ones are by him kneeling, — 
Mournful is the gush of feeling 
Bursting thus from childhood’s heart, 
From a mother’s love to part. 

“Jesus wept,” the father pleadeth,— 
Weeping love now intercedeth ; 

Man of griefs ! our tears behold! 

In thine arms this lamb enfold! 

Angel-forms are hither tending ; 

The Redeemer o’er them bending, 

With an eye of pitying love, 

Bears their pleading cries above. 

Child of tears, baptized in sorrow! 
Shrouded by a dark to-morrow ; 


264 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Never more wert thou to rest 
On thy mother’s loving breast. 

But her God beheld that weeping; 
He, sweet one, is covenant-keeping ; 
He, — the pure, the undefiled,— 

He will bless thee, darling child ! 







LINGERING ON THE BANKS OF JORDAN. 


“ Parting soul ! the flood awaits thee, 
And the billows round thee roar : 
Yet look on — the crystal city 
Stands on yon celestial shore.” 


Much of the afternoon following the baptism was 
spent in prayer. Trustingly did that little circle 
pour all their sorrows into the ear of God ; and He heard 
their cry and gave them peace. The father and chil¬ 
dren sat calmly together at their evening meal, and 
while the food remained almost untouched, they talked 
peacefully of the departure of their dear one, and of 
their meeting again where “ adieus and farewells are 
a sound unknown.” 

Mrs. Hamlin had tasked her feeble powers to the 
utmost in conversation with her children, and in the 
evening she was greatly oppressed for breath. But, 
feeling that she could breathe more easily in her rock¬ 
ing-chair, she sat up till a late hour, communing with 
her husband of the heavenly world. “ O, that we could 
know more of those eternal and unseen things ! But it 
is enough now to know that we shall see Him as He is, 
ind shall be like Him.” She dwelt upon the Christian 
attainments of her father and mother on earth, and 
)f their correspondent blessedness in heaven. She 
spoke of soon meeting them there, and of good Deacon 
Kent as being near them. “ O, what a consolation,” 
she exclaimed, “ to look forward to such a gracious 
God, and such a glorious heaven ! ” She alluded to the 
23 


266 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


probability of an intimate, affectionate interest of the 
redeemed in glory in their friends below, and expressed 
her hope of meeting her little family in heaven. “ I 
am afraid,” she said, u that I shall meet you there too 
soon. Do take care of yourself, for these dear children’s 
sake. Attempt less, and you will live longer and do 
more.” Her sister, Mrs. Maltby, long in declining 
health, she felt that she should soon meet. Nor was 
this expectation vain. That beloved sister, in a short 
time, followed her to the world of spirits. 

She wished Mr. H. to say to her friend M. that she 
trusted their friendship would be continued in heaven. 
While she expressed her deep sense of sinfulness, not a 
cloud dimmed her prospect. She had perfect peace in 
Christ, wondered that he should be so gracious to such 
a sinner, and felt that he was all her salvation and all 
her desire. She conversed in a sweet, clear voice, and 
her emaciated countenance wore a calm and heavenly 
beauty, which seemed to come from a purer world. 

“I can truly say (says Mr. H.) that this was the happiest 
evening I ever passed in her society. Yes, — knowing that 
my children would soon, very soon, be motherless, and I 
bereaved of an incomparable and most affectionate wife, I still 
felt an elevated happiness, which seemed to have no alloy. I 
said to myself, ‘The battle is fought, the victory is won; 
henceforth there remains nothing but the crown of glory.’ ” 

This was the last time that she was able to converse 
continuously, although she afterwards said much in 
brief separate sentences. 

When they first came to the island, her physician 
had recommended a swing. By ropes which Mr. 
Hamlin attached to the ceiling, he was able at any 
time to suspend the rocking-chair which he had made 
for her. The view which met her eyes, as she rocked 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


267 


gently back and forth, was a magnificent one, and she 
enjoyed it with her own peculiar relish, while she found 
the exercise pleasant and soothing to her cough. But 
on Wednesday, the 30th of October, she was lifted into 
her chair for the last time. It occasioned extreme suf¬ 
fering for breath. The next day the chair was removed 
from her room, and she herself directed the putting 
away her dress, and the packing of some articles which 
would not again be needed. O, those last, last things ! 
— those mute farewells ! Who but he that has felt the 
same can tell how they pierced the heart of that lonely 
mourner ? 

“ I often wept, and mourned, and prayed, in secret places, 
and felt as though my bereavement was insupportable, and my 
burden greater than I could bear. But again I was comforted 
and cheered, and felt that God would not forsake my afflicted 
family.”. 

Unable any longer to be removed from her bed, she 
was for a few days occasionally raised upon it, for 
change of position, and that she might still look from 
her favorite window. Before her were spread out the 
fair gardens of the island, the Lycian coast, washed by 
the deep blue sea, and the bold mountains beyond the 
channel. This view, in her own words, “ often aided 
her in lifting her mind and heart to their glorious 
Creator, when she was too weak to read his word.” 
Hardly less did she delight in the heavy gales of wind 
that swept along the coast, or the majestic thunder¬ 
storms that played sublimely around her,—“only these 
night-storms,” she said, “lull me asleep too soon, 
cutting short my enjoyment.” She regarded it as a great 
privation when she could no longer look out upon her 
Father’s beautiful works, yet she submitted with her 
usua r cheerfulness. 


268 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


She was now treading the verge of Jordan, but the 
sweet serenity of heaven was in her heart and upon 
her brow. To Mr. Hamlin’s frequent inquiries, she 
replied, “ Peace, perfect peace ! ” 

“ Peace! (he says). What sweeter answer could have 
been given? You must have a similar experience to know 
how it thrilled through my soul, and made me feel that we had 
reached at the same time the happiest and most painful point 
of our earthly existence.” 

On Monday, the 28th, she was very weak, and suf¬ 
fered much for breath, often feeling as though suffoca¬ 
tion was about to commence. At a late hour, she said 
that she had enjoyed the evening highly, in praying for 
her husband and children. God had granted her near 
access to Him, and she felt that blessings would descend 
upon them while she should be in heaven. 

She had taken great delight in reading the Scriptures, 
but she was now deprived of this pleasure. One of the 
last passages which she read was from the seventy- 
third Psalm, and she repeated aloud the language of 
David, as suited to her own feelings : “ Whom have I 
in heaven but thee ? and there is none upon earth that 
1 desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: 
but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion 
forever.” 

She still enjoyed hearing the Scriptures read, and 
passages from “ Baxter’s Saint’s Rest.” And that 
beautiful hymn of Cowper afforded her great comfort: 

“ 0 Lord, my best desires fulfil, 

And help me to resign 
Life, health and comfort, to thy will, 

And make thy pleasure mine !” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


269 


But she sometimes remarked, “ There is nothing like 
the Bible; there I find everything I want.” 

She often spoke of the seminary at Bebek, expressing 
her strong desire that the Spirit of God might he poured 
out upon it. “ What happy days were those ! ” said she 
at one time, alluding to their early rising, and the long 
days, every moment of which was filled up with use¬ 
fulness. She wished Mr. Hamlin to say to the students 
that she would gladly have returned to devote herself 
to their welfare and happiness, but God had chosen 
otherwise. And now she desired most earnestly that 
they might all consecrate themselves to the work of 
Christ in preaching his gospel to their nation. 

In describing these scenes, Mr. H. says: 

“ We had many seasons of penitential acknowledgment of 
all our sins, and of the faithfulness and goodness of our 
heavenly Father in giving us this cup to drink. Everything 
appeared just as it should be, and we felt that we could praise 
God in our affliction, and rejoice that He condescends to 
include our best, our eternal interests, in the execution of his 
plans. I doubt not but we shall remember Rhodes in eternity, 
and bless God that He lifted it out of the sea, and made it a 
furnace of affliction, causing us to pass through it.” 

Mr. H. frequently met with an English traveller, 
then stopping at Rhodes,— an officer of the navy, of 
cultivated mind and heart. This gentleman manifested 
much interest in the little circle of daughters, and was 
constant in his inquiries for the health of their mother. 
One morning, when Mr. H. replied to his questions that 
all hope was given up, the officer was moved to tears. 
In relating this to Mrs. H., she was so affected at the 
thought of this deep interest on the part of an entire 
stranger, that she could not for the moment repress her 
23* 


270 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


emotion. These were the last tears she was ever seen 
to shed. 

On Saturday evening, the 2d of November, although 
suffering from great debility, she enjoyed a sweet sea¬ 
son of prayer, according to her custom on that evening, 
for each member of her own household, and for her 
family circle in America. She said her Saturday eve¬ 
nings had always been precious to her, and she ex¬ 
pressed the wish that her family should continue to 
observe that evening as a season of preparation for the 
Sabbath.. 

The next morning she was raised by pillows, so that 
she could look from the window upon the delightful 
prospect in view. She desired Mr. Hamlin to talk with 
the children about the sacredness of the Sabbath, and 
the blessings promised to those who keep it holy, add¬ 
ing, “ I hoped I should feel strong enough to do it my¬ 
self, but I cannot.” She, however, requested them to 
commit to memory all the promises to be found in the 
Bible on this subject. 

She expressed her wish that their father should pre¬ 
sent each of the children with Doddridge’s “ Rise and 
Progress,” as a memorial from her; saying that the 
reading of that book was greatly blessed to her when 
she was twelve or thirteen years of age, bringing her 
out of doubt and darkness into peace and joy. She 
hoped that he would daily and earnestly pursue the 
cultivation of their mind and heart, and repeated her 
desire that he might be satisfied with nothing but the 
clearest evidence of a prayerful and consistent life, that 
they were the children of God. 

It was the first Sabbath of the month, and towards 
evening the little circle observed the monthly concert, 
— according to their custom of holding one on the Sab¬ 
bath evening in Armenian, with the seminary, while 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


271 


they observed a second on Monday evening in English. 
Mrs. Hamlin requested that fifty dollars of some prop¬ 
erty held in her own country might be given to the 
American Board, as a testimony of her attachment to 
the cause in death. The elder children expressed their 
pleasure in this appropriation of what would have been 
theirs, and, with earnest prayer, the humble offering 
was consecrated to God. 

Thus, understanding the peculiar sacredness and 
power of the last words and acts of a loved one, did she 
spend her failing breath in impressing upon the hearts 
of her children, as her latest lesson, the doctrine of 
Christian benevolence—the sweet law of a self-denying 
love. 

The earthly tabernacle was fast dissolving, but the 
spirit waxed stronger and stronger in faith. “ I have 
given up everything to God, and I wish to take nothing 
back.” 


“ 0 Lord, my God, do thou thy will — 

I will lie still — 

I will not stir, lest I forsake thine arm, 

And break the charm 

Which lulls me, clinging to my Father’s breast 
In perfect rest!” 


WAITING AT THE GATE OF HEAVEN. 


«« Methinks a light as soft and sweet 

Shines on me as the pale moon’s ray ; 

Methinks I hear the angels greet, — 

* Come hither, spirit, come ! ’ they say.” 

Before leaving the world, Mrs. Hamlin had earnestly 
desired a period of quiet, of that freedom from pain so 
often enjoyed in this disease. She had hoped for a 
season when she could converse without such parox¬ 
ysms of distress. But, as no such period was granted, 
she cheerfully acquiesced in the divine decision. 

On the 8th of November they received a package of 
letters from their missionary friends, including two from 
America. In the course of the day, nearly twenty of 
these, in whole or in part, were read aloud, giving her 
the liveliest pleasure. 


“ Constantinople, Oct. 7, 1850. 

“My dear Brother and Sister: You are constantly in 
our thoughts, often in our conversation, and not forgotten in 
our prayers. Had it been left to us, we should have ordered 
things very differently. But the great Disposer of all has a 
greater interest in you than we have, yea, greater than you 
yourselves have; and it is, therefore, infinitely safe, and ought 
to be infinitely sweet and pleasant, for us to lie passive in his 
hands, and to know no will but his. His will is perfect. And 
may the grace of God enable you always to feel this! 

“May it please the great Head of the church soon to restore 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


273 


our dear sister to health and strength. Especially may her 
peace be like a river! Yours truly, 

“William Goodell.” 

After hearing the letters, Mrs. Hamlin expressed the 
feeling that the kindness, the prayers, and the sympa¬ 
thy of their missionary circle had surrounded her in all 
her sickness in overflowing measure. She was partic¬ 
ularly gratified in hearing once more from her native 
land. 

During all this time, she had seasons of extreme suf¬ 
fering, and at times a sense of suffocation. Yet Mr. 
Hamlin frequently knew of these seasons only by her 
expressions of gratitude when relieved. Her weakness, 
she said, was such as she had never conceived of; it 
was “ weakness amounting to positive pain.” But her 
heavenly Father gave her the grace of patience in all 
her sufferings. She still had some precious seasons of 
prayer, but generally could only say, “ God be merci¬ 
ful to me a sinner ! ” She was unable to think much, 
but sometimes enjoyed her thoughts highly, though 
they seemed to come only of themselves. She con¬ 
tinued to notice all the children said and did, and to 
smile at their childish prattle, once remarking, “ Sweet 
little children, your mother leaves you at the most in¬ 
teresting age.” She still directed them in regard to 
many things, often making brief suggestions for the 
future, and exhibiting great meekness of spirit, a clear 
memory of the past, and an equally clear judgment in 
regard to the future. 

One day, after speaking of the extraordinary grief 
and wonderful submission of the children, she added, 
very impressively, “O, what scenes this house has 
witnessed since we entered it! ” il To be remembered 


274 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


in eternity.” “ Yes! ” she added, an expression of 
joy flashing across her pale countenance. 

Her affectionate and grateful sense of her husband’s 
unremitted attentions she continued to express to the 
last. At one time she said, “ It seems to me that you 
would give your life for me.” 

She was aware that the steamer was expected about 
the middle of November, and that, if her family failed 
of returning then, they would be detained another 
month. Although expecting her death from day to 
day, yet foreseeing the possibility of her living till 
nearly that time, she herself directed the packing of 
several articles, desirous of having every arrangement 
made that would facilitate their departure at a short 
notice. When she found that she was living up to 
nearly the time of the steamer’s expected arrival, she 
expressed her regret at thus lingering, feeling that it 
might subject her flock to a more wintry passage. 
What a touching instance of self-forgetting love ! With 
her accustomed foresight, she wished her husband to 
write down directions with regard to additional clothing 
which the children would probably need during quar¬ 
antine. This thoughtful solicitude for the future wel¬ 
fare of her family, when earth’s scenes were fast fading 
from her sight, seems a kind of demonstration of the 
immortality of the social affections. 

On the Sabbath, being entirely exhausted, she re¬ 
quested that her husband’s prayers might he brief, as 
she could command her attention but a very short 
time. In the evening, as he felt that the Sabbath would 
never dawn on them again an unbroken circle, his 
prayer was longer than he intended, but she said that 
sh3 had enjoyed it all, and that it did not fatigue her. 

During that night sne was restless, and once ex¬ 
claimed, “O, rest, rest! ” Mr. Hamlin replied, “ There 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


275 


remaineth a rest for the people of God.” “ O yes, yes ! 
I hope soon to reach it. I am almost at the end of my 
pilgrimage.” When Mr. Hamlin inquired what were her 
feelings, in view of the near approach of death, she 
replied, “Too weak to speak,” but presently added, 
“The same — peace — lam a great sinner,— I trust 
wholly in the mercy of God.— It is all a poor sinner 
can do,— it is everything a poor sinner needs.” This 
was said at intervals, as she found strength to utter it. 

Monday and Tuesday it pleased her heavenly Father 
to grant her relief from her extreme sufferings, for 
which she wished Mr. Hamlin to express her grateful 
acknowledgments in prayer. But on Tuesday night 
she was again called to the most acute distress. She 
had been too weak to lift a spoon, or to wipO the death- 
dew from her forehead; but that feeble, exhausted 
frame now became instinct with life and suffering in 
every nerve, and she turned and writhed, her whole 
frame convulsed with agony. When Mr. Hamlin proposed 
to go to Dr. Hedenborg, with her instinctive judgment, 
she said that it would be very difficult to arouse any 
one from the outer gate at that time, and that powerful 
medicine would probably terminate not only her suf¬ 
fering, but her life, when by a little patient endurance 
relief would come naturally. After she had thus suf¬ 
fered for two or three hours, until her husband began 
to fear she would lose her reason, he said to her, “ May 
the Lord Jesus, who bore the agonies of the cross for 
thee, speedily relieve these pains, or give you strength 
to bear them ! ” “O, what sufferings, what sufferings 

were his ! ” she replied. “ Mine are nothing, and, be¬ 
sides, so much less than I deserve.—I have had great 
mercies through all this sickness.” After she was 
relieved, she wished him to offer special thanksgiving 


276 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


to God, saying “ How good and gracious He has been 
in hearing our cry ! ” 

Wednesday morning, for the first time, she declined 
her breakfast. She repeatedly attempted to express 
her sense of God’s goodness. “ He has been very, very 
merciful to me.” Mr. Hamlin inquired, “Are you entire¬ 
ly resigned to His will in all things ? ” “ Yes, yes ,” she 
replied, with peculiar emphasis. It was with difficulty 
that she spoke, but she expressed entire resignation at 
leaving her family with God, saying, “ He will supply 
all your need ! ” She had no desire to alter anything 
in the providence of God, feeling that everything had 
taken place in the best time and manner, both for her¬ 
self and her family. Her soul had already entered 
within the vail. 

Speaking of this day, Mr. Hamlin says : 

“ Henrietta had been standing for some time, tearful and 
silent, at the foot of the bed. As she went out, I said, ‘ You 
see how full her heart is, although she seems to have a Chris¬ 
tian resignation to the will of God.’ ‘ Yes, dear child ! ’ she 
replied. * The Lord bless her and be gracious to her! The 
Lord comfort her in all her little sorrows, make her very useful 
and happy in life, and prepare her to live in heaven! ’ This 
was said with such peculiar earnestness and sweetness of voice, 
that I was entirely overcome. The place seemed to me the 
very gate of heaven.” 

About three or four o’clock, she became almost 
speechless. The shadow of death was darkening 
around her, and the names of familiar objects escaped 
her mind. With much effort, she at length succeeded 
in making Mr. H. understand that she wished for a 
few drops of cologne-water, which immediately revived 
her, so that she spoke again with her naturally sweet 
tones, and her mind was as clear as ever. Still her 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


277 


pulse was very feeble, she was unable to raise her 
hand, and Mr. H. thought her dying. In the evening 
she appeared better, but could not sleep. All that night 
he was at her side, although she often requested him to 
lie down. At one time, while he was preparing her a 
new drink, she said, “ Day and night you still labor 
for me.” 

She continued to enjoy prayer, and, as it were by 
the opened gates of heaven, for the last time did this 
dying wife and her sorrowing husband unite in con¬ 
fessing before God their mutual sins, in seeking pardon 
through the blood of Christ, and in imploring the pres¬ 
ence of the Comforter, and a blessed reunion in glory. 
She afterwards said, “ What should I have done had I 
been less tenderly watched and carried through all this 
trying sickness ? I feel that God will reward you in 
your last sickness, and not leave you comfortless, for 
the care you have taken of me.” 

During these night-vigils, in the solemn presence of 
death, Mr. Hamlin writes to a missionary brother: 

“ I have had no regular sleep for the last ten weeks; but my 
watchings are nearly done, and *1 rejoice in the thought that 
after a few hours more my suffering wife will exchange earth 
for heaven. She is waiting and desiring to depart and be 
with Christ, and has for the past three weeks experienced uni¬ 
form peace and joy in view of her nearness to the end of her 
pilgrimage. In speaking of the children the other day, she 
said, ‘ When I used to feel such distress about leaving them 
motherless, I did not suppose it possible to feel as I now do. 
I have no desire that it should be otherwise than it is. I have 
resigned them into the hands of God, and I trustingly leave 
them there.’ My dear wife has 

lingered beyond all human expectation. She cannot move a 
limb, and she takes almost no nourishment. Her mind is now 
perfectly clear and active, and her articulation distinct. On 

24 


278 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


hearing that I should finish my notes to-night, she sent her 
* affectionate farewell ’ to the missionary circle. It was all she 
had strength to say. Indeed, it was all the message she could 
send to her brothers and sisters at home, although she made an 
ineffectual attempt to say more. 

“ I feel unexpectedly sustained and calm in view of her 
departure. I wish to give up myself and family to the divine 
disposal. I never knew so well before how much better the 
will of God is than mine.j He can break and desolate my 
heart, and yet show me that in doing it he gives me reason to 
praise and bless him forever. He has made me more happy in 
seeing my dear wife pale and panting in the embrace of death, 
than I could possibly be in seeing her radiant with health, and 
crowned with every earthly blessing. For now I feel that 
eternity is hers, and I have no fear that sin or Satan will dis¬ 
turb her more.” 


“ God will prove 
The soul, encircled by his love. 

Can meekly, midst her anguish, say, 

* Still will I trust Him, though He slay.* ** 


* 

LIGHT ON THE DARK RIVER. —THE 
LAST SLEEP. 

** Dying, still slowly dying. 

As the hours of night wore by, 

She had lain since the light of sunset 
Was red on the evening sky. 

Until near the middle watches. 

As I softly near her trod, 

When her soul from its prison-fetters 
Was loosed by the hand of God. 

“ And I felt in lonely midnight. 

As I sat by the silent dead, 

That a light on the path going downward 
The feet of the righteous shed, — 

When I thought how with feet unshrinking 
She came to the Jordan’s tide, 

And, taking the hand of the Saviour, 

Went up on the henvenly side.” 

Thursday morning came, and the dear sufferer still 
lingered, but it was the last earthly morning that 
would ever dawn upon her. Her breath was short 
and her pulse feeble, yet she seemed so quiet and peace¬ 
ful that Mr. Hamlin supposed her to he free from suf¬ 
fering, until towards evening, when she remarked that 
she had been constantly near to suffocation. But these 
closing scenes are most fitly given in his own words : 

“ My heart sank within me this morning, as I saw the seal 
of death so visibly upon her countenance. But we had a sweet 
and cheering time at family prayers, which she desired to have 


280 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


in her room. After prayers, l said, ‘You will soon see Him as 
He is, and be like Him.’ ‘ O yes! ’ ‘ Have you still perfect 

peace and readiness to depart and be with Christ ? ’ ‘ Yes, 

yes ! ’ she replied, with emphasis, repeating the answer. Here 
is consolation, — a firm, abiding rock to stand upon. She is 
failing gently, but before to-morrow she will wear her crown. 
Blessed be the name of the Lord ! 

“ She expressed a strong desire to go and be with Him who 
had redeemed her. 

“ As the children came softly in and out, her eye often fol¬ 
lowed them with intense affection, and, noticing their efforts to 
be still, she once said, ‘What good children! ’ 

“ In the afternoon, little Mary was brought in ; and she gave 
the unconscious, happy child its mother’s last look of love,— 
a love which the cold waters of death, rising higher and higher, 
could not quench. 

“ At five o’clock the final agonies of death commenced, and 
continued with intervals till nearly nine. About half-past 
seven she became easier, and wished to sleep. The night was 
chilly, damp and windy, with occasional dashes of rain ; yet 
the three windows of her room were open from top to bottom, 
nor could she bear the thought of having one of them closed, 
till, recollecting my exposure, she said, earnestly, with her 
usual self-forgetting spirit, ‘ Shut them, shut them, — you will 
take cold.’ I sat down by the bed to take some tea, being 
exhausted by standing over her most of the time for thirty-six 
hours. She breathed quietly, and I removed out of the chilly 
current of wind that swept over the bed. Immediately I 
thought she called me, but I found her engaged in earnest sup¬ 
plication. I had mentioned to her that it was the hour when 
the brethren and sisters at the different stations assemble for 
prayer, and that she was undoubtedly remembered by them 
all. ‘Indeed, indeed! ’ she replied, with apparent delight; and 
I have no doubt her prayer was in reference to them. 

“ Soon after, she called me, saying, * My distress for breath 
is great — breathless, breathless ! ’ She spoke like one pant¬ 
ing from violent exertion. She begged me to place her in one 



MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


281 


position, and then another, but in vain. ‘Lift me in your 
arms.* I did so, and her head fell upon my shoulder with a 
look of intense suffering. She then said, ‘Lay me down. 
O, when shall I sink to rest ? * I told her she was very near 
her rest, and it would be sweet after such sufferings. ‘ Yes,’ 
she replied, * I greatly desire to reach it.’ I offered frequent 
petitions for her relief, and for the presence of the Saviour 
with her through all the dark valley. She sometimes added. 
‘Yes, this is my prayer.’ A little before nine o’clock, she 
turned her eye towards me and said, ‘My sufferings have 
ceased. I breathe freely. How gracious the Lord has been to 
me ! Do join with me in praising Him! ’ I knelt by her side, 
and offered thanksgiving. After a moment’s pause, she said, 
‘ Blessed Saviour! ’ and seemed rapt in contemplation of Him 
whose glory she was soon to behold. I said to her, ‘ Can you 
not offer one petition more for your husband ? ’ A sudden 
pulsation of life seemed to pass through her frame, and she 
extended to me her hand, saying, in the sweetest, most affec¬ 
tionate tones, ‘ You have been an excellent husband, but I 
never knew how to value you till this sickness.’ I knelt, and, 
kissing her forehead, said, ‘Farewell, my dear Henrietta! 
May the Lord Jesus send his angels to guide you to himself! ’ 
‘Delightful thought! how delightful! ’ she replied, returning 
the farewell kiss, ‘ but can we be sure He always sends them, 
and to one so unworthy?’ Then, after a moment’s pause, 
still holding my hand, she added, in a voice singularly sweet 
and distinct, ‘ The Lord bless my husband ! the Lord bless my 
children, and my unworthy self!’ The tremor of death 
passed suddenly over her, and all was still. Thinking her 
spirit had departed, I exclaimed, ‘ My Henrietta ! my Henri- 
etta ! ’ She opened her eyes and said, ‘ What child is this ? 
Is it little Carrie ? ’ I said, ‘ No, my dear, there is no child 
here! ’ ‘ Yes! ’ she replied, ‘ it is little Carrie, and the room 

is full of them! ’ 

“ I recalled her wandering mind, but in vain. Shortly 
after these words, she looked upwards, and breathed her last. 

24 * 


282 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


** All was ended now,—the hope, and the fear, and the sorrow ; 

All the aching of heart, the restless, unsatisfied longing; 

All the dull, deep pain, and constant anguish of patienoe ! 

And, as he pressed once more the lifeless head to his bosom, 

Meekly he bowed his own, and murmured, * Father, I thank thee ! * 


THE BURIAL. 


** Now she hath her full of rest. 

Sods lie lightly on her breast. 

With no sorrow laden.” J. R. Lowell. 


It was twenty minutes past nine o’clock, on the 
night of the 14th November, when the angel of 
silence sealed forever those lips on which had dwelt 
the law of kindness. And there, in the chamber of 
death, with his five motherless daughters, all uncon¬ 
scious of their loss, asleep in an adjoining room,— there, 
by that lifeless form, he knelt down and poured out his 
heart into the ears of a compassionate Saviour, thank¬ 
ing him for so sweet a release, and imploring his sup¬ 
port in that hour of desolation. He afterwards sat for 
a time, following in thought the departed spirit, as it 
entered upon the beatific visions of heaven. Then, 
closing those eyes, which would never more beam upon 
him, he prepared her body for the burial as she had 
directed. Her emaciated countenance was calm and 
sweet; a heavenly smile lingered upon her lips, and 
her brow seemed touched with the glory of the celestial 
world. When these last services had been performed 
by that widowed husband, he sank down prostrate and 
desolate. But he cried unto the Lord, and found sup¬ 
port and consolation. 

The elder children, awaking, inquired after their 
mother. On being told that she was quiet, they again 
fell asleep. Their father lay down with his smitten 


284 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


flock, but that parting scene, “ that last farewell, so 
sweet, so tender, so soul-subduing,” banished slumber 
from his eyes. He felt as if “ life’s last cup of consola¬ 
tion and joy had been received.” “I tried,” he says, 
“ to follow the spirit to its home of bliss in the wonder¬ 
ful sweetness with which it had commenced the new 
song, but my unbelieving and selfish heart refused 
consolation.” 

What a waking for those stricken children ! Their 
father had endeavored to prepare them for this hour of 
desolation, but in vain. Nor was this strange. Older 
hearts than theirs are slow to credit the assurance of a 
coming sorrow. How could these little ones believe 
that their ever-watchful mother would no more answer 
to their call — that her words of love would never again 
fall upon their listening ear ? Poor motherless ones 1 
Early is the chalice of sorrow placed to their rosy lips. 

The scene of anguish around that lifeless form can 
never be described. But their father read to them of 
the New Jerusalem, the home just reached by their 
sainted mother, and their hearts were comforted. And 
as often as the billows of their grief rose high, this 
weeping circle, amid sobs and groans, fled to prayer, 
and arose calm and consoled. 

On this sad morning the sun rises in mist, and soon 
passes into clouds. The broad English flag is slowly 
raised at half-mast, and mournfully spreads out its 
folds to the sighing breeze. What emotions must fill 
the heart of that lonely mourner, as he gazes upon that 
signal, uttering aloud his bereavement, and casting a 
deep shadow over all nature ! 

“ 0, what an expression of gloom and sorrow did it seem to 
throw over the whole visible un verse! I could hardly per¬ 
suade myself that I and my little family alone were stricken 
with grief.” 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


285 


During the day, Mr. Kerr, the English consul, called, 
and kindly offered to take the arrangements for the 
funeral upon himself, informing Mr. Hamlin that the 
steamer for Constantinople would probably pass in 
the morning,— the only one expected for a month. 
Under these circumstances, the funeral could not be 
deferred. 

“I placed her gently in the coffin, and O, how impossible to 
break from the last fond gaze! The rough Greeks screwed 
down the lid ; but I made them open it again, and they wept 
while I looked once more. And then we went and buried her 
in the sands of Rhodes.” 

It was at half-past three that they bore that lovely 
and beloved form to its lonely grave in the Greek 
church-yard, attended by Chevalier Hedenborg, the 
English, Russian and Danish consuls, with some of 
their friends. The Greek bishop proposed to come out 
in procession with his clergy, but with many thanks 
Mr. Hamlin declined the offer, and apparently without 
giving offence. The English consul read the funeral 
services, and then the coffin was lowered into the 
grave. The poor children fell upon their father’s neck, 
and bedewing him with tears exclaimed, “We have 
nobody to love and nobody to love us now but you ! ” 
Not many eyes in that circle of foreign but sympathiz¬ 
ing friends beheld without tears this touching scene. 

Shall we follow them, as they return to their desolate 
home ? Ah, my brother, my brother ! the light of thy 
dwelling is put out, and thou sittest in darkness and 
sorrow. Well mayst thou say, “All thy waves and 
billows are gone over me.” Who but the compas¬ 
sionate Saviour can minister balm to thy wounded 
spirit ? 


286 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


Breathe a farewell to thy heart’s cherished idol! 

Press on her forehead the seal of thy love ! 

Clasp in thine own the cold hand she extendeth,— 
Angels are waiting to bear her above. 

Woe for thee, mourner! The cup thou art draining — 
Woe for its dregs that thy pale lips have quaffed! 
Weep, 0 my brother ! unchannel thy sorrow ! 

Life bringeth never a bitterer draught. 

Look on her now, in the death-sleep reposing ! 

Close thou forever those love-beaming eyes ; 

Smooth her dark tresses, — O, tenderly, softly. 

Culling one lock as thy heart’s treasured prize! 

Lovely in death ! How serenely she sleepeth ! 

Holy the smile is that beams on her brow; 

Sealed there by Peace, that dear angel celestial, 

On whose placid bosom she slumbereth now. 

Wave, O thou banner, thy mournful death-symbol! 

Fling thy broad folds to the sorrowing breeze ! 

Utter aloud that lone mourner’s bereavement; 

Tell his sad tale to the tall cypress-trees ! 

> 

Place her, 0 gently, within her lone coffin ; 

Look yet again, ere the dark grave enfold ; 
Rough-moulded Greeks in strange sorrow are weeping, 
Gazing on anguish unfathomed, untold. 

Bear her loved form to its place of sepulture; 

Heap the light sands on her cold, silent breast; 

On the sea-breaking shore reposeth she sweetly, 

Worn and way-weary there let her rest! 

Woe for thee now in thy desolate dwelling! 

Woe for thy yearnings, so hopeless and vain! 

Woe for thy clinging, thy motherless children ! 

Fast fall their tears, and bedew thee like rain. 

Dearest Redeemer ! 0, pity their sorrow! 

Where but to Thee can these weeping ones go? 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 

Bear on thy bosom the soul-stricken father, 

As o’er him are breaking the billows of woe! 

Leave her alone on the fair rocky islet! 

There dasheth ever the white-crested surge ; 
Balmy the air is, and warm the sweet sunshine,— 
Ocean-waves chanting her low, mournful dirge. 


287 


VICTORY OF FAITH. 


“ As my eye grows dim 
And darkens on this fading sphere, 

I see the smiling seraphim 
Wax more and more resplendent there ; 

And as my ear grows deaf and dull 
To the vain sounds of earthly art. 

The music soft and beautiful 
Of heaven absorbs my raptured heart.” J. Bowring. 

Having followed the dear departed through conflict 
to victory, we can but look back with admiring grati¬ 
tude upon the discipline of her heavenly Father in thus 
preparing her for himself. As some of the missionaries 
have since remarked, her struggles and her triumphs 
seemed peculiarly designed to teach her missionary sis¬ 
ters how to die and leave their children with God. 

Endowed by nature with many attractive qualities, 
it was yet the grace of God early engrafted upon them 
Avhich awakens our enduring interest, and embalms her 
memory as blessed in the hearts of all who knew her. 
It elevated and refined what was before lovely; it 
overcame the morbid tendencies of her mind, turning 
all her impulses and sentiments into a healthful and 
beneficent channel; it strengthened her for a self-conse¬ 
cration to the noblest of causes, and gave her calmness 
and peace when forsaking friends and country for 
Christ; it sustained her through all the difficulties and 
perplexities of her first years of missionary life, as also 
in the arduous duties and responsibilities of its later 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


289 


years. All this it did, purifying and perfecting her 
sweet natural excellences, adorning her with the pecu¬ 
liar gifts and graces of the Spirit, and shedding over 
her whole character the lustre and beauty of holiness 
and heaven. Nor was this all. 

In a conflict of soul than which few ever experienced 
a severer, when the streaming light of eternity revealed 
to her God’s ineffable holiness, and, in contrast, the 
sins of her own heart and life, how signal through 
grace was her triumph! And in that agonized wres¬ 
tling of spirit, in those importunate yearnings of na¬ 
ture, which cried unto God day and night for life,— 
life in behalf of her weeping, clinging children, who, 
standing upon the shores of Time, would detain her 
there,— how are those restless pleadings hushed into 
the calm of sweetest submission! Still there is a 
region not yet attained. Doubts and fears at times 
oppress her. 

It is here that the merciful Father undertakes for 
her complete deliverance. She is led to the solemn 
gates of Death; the King of Terrors confronts her; 

“ The cold and pale 
Cloud-curtains of the unseen land ” 

are lifting slowly before her. She at first closes her eyes 
as if to shut out the view of its overpowering realities; 
she shrinks from the thought of so soon meeting the 
almighty and adorable Judge, now calling her into the 
mysterious spirit-world. Who can tell the fearfulness 
of that strife ? But, in this contest between the powers 
of darkness and the redeeming Spirit, the issue is not 
doubtful. She makes a new and full surrender of her¬ 
self to her Saviour, and clasps his cross to her heart. 
Her tired spirit thus lays itself in the arms of the infi¬ 
nite and unchanging Father, and his promises are now 
25 


200 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


to her yea and amen. She has no regrets for the past, 
no fears for the future. Her soul has come into a close 
and indissoluble union with the great Creator. In this 
state of perfected love, she enters the land of Beulah. 
The Dark River is illumined with celestial light. 
Overlooking the swelling flood, she beholds clearly the 
promised land, spread out on the bright.eternal shore: 

“ Sweet fields beyond the swelling flood 
Stand dressed in living green.” 

The spicy breezes of the heavenly Canaan are wafted 
towards her, its crystal waters sparkle in her eye, its 
celestial melodies fill her ear. Happy spirit! After 
long toils, and wanderings, and conflicts, she has found 
her eternal home. No wonder that, though pale and 
quivering in death, the light of heaven irradiates her 
countenance, that the serenity of the Holy One beams 
upon her brow. No wonder that peace rests in her 
heart and lingers upon her lips. No wonder that her 
weeping companion, in view of such a triumphant faith, 
forgets his own present agony and future desolation, 
and exclaims, “ I would rather see her thus, pale and 
panting in the embrace of death, than to see her radi¬ 
ant in health, and the crowned sovereign of any empire 
on earth! ” 

Faith — precious, glorious faith ! Ah, my sister ! it 
was thy sweetest gift, thy richest adorning, thy price¬ 
less inheritance ! That chamber, darkened and gloomy 
in the shadow of death, it illumines with a serene and 
glorious light. To that dying bed it bears the angelic 
symphonies of heaven. That pallid brow it encircles 
with the crown of glory, the lustre whereof rays visibly 
around that attenuated form. Grim Death is changed 
into an angel of mercy. The dark grave is bright as 
the portals of eternal bliss. The battle is fought, the 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


231 


victory won ! Even while lingering in that decaying 
tabernacle, faith has well-nigh passed into fruition. 
And shall we mourn for thee, my sister? Can we shed 
tears in contemplating such a death,— a death whicii 
is but an entrance on the full and eternal life? Let ns 
rather meditate in silent awe in that hallowed room, 
and learn of thee the sweet lesson of a trusting and tri¬ 
umphant faith. Thy God is our God — blessed be ins 
name! Attaining a like precious faith, so shall we 
dwell in the serene air of heaven, our garments unde¬ 
filed by contact with earth. So, when we stand on the 
Dark River’s brink, shall it be all luminous to us, and 
on the eternal shore shining ones in white will lead 
n s triumphing up to the celestial city. 


PASSAGE FROM RHODES. 


“ O, soothe us, haunt us, night and day. 

Thou gentle spirit far away. 

With whom we shared the cup of grace, 

Then parted ; thou to Christ’s embrace. 

We to the lonesome world again. 

Yet mindful of the unearthly strain 
Practised with thee at Eden’s door.” Keble. 


The greater part of the night following Mrs. Hamlin’s 
funeral, was spent by her bereaved husband in making 
arrangements for the departure of himself and his little 
flock for Constantinople. The steamer, however, did 
not arrive as expected, and when she did come was 
prevented from stopping by despatches which she bore 
for the capital. As no other steamer was due for a 
month, this mourning family were detained in their 
lonely habitation until the middle of December. 

The very day after their disappointment, four of the 
children were taken sick, two of them alarmingly so. 
They had, as mentioned before, no servant but little 
Mary’s nurse, “a woman of most unreasonable and 
malignant temper.” 

“ I surveyed the scene (writes Mr. Hamlin) and said, ‘ The 
Lord reigneth.’ I tried to give them all up, to conceal no 
wedge of gold in any comer of my heart. It cost me a dread¬ 
ful struggle; but I bless God that he did enable me, as I think, 
to give up the sweet treasures to him. Heaven, instead of 
being a distant and shadowy realm, seemed a near and blessed 
reality; and I could rejoice in the thought of my little family 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


293 


so soon joining their mother in a safe and sinless world. But 
God has graciously spared me the trial, and given them back 
to me for a season.” 

Not long after, he writes: 

“It is a day of sorrow, in which nature itself seems wrapt in 
gloom. Dark, heavy clouds, and a chilly, motionless atmo - 
phere, seem to press upon my very soul. I am writing in the 
chamber where my precious wife bade me that tender farewell, 
and departed in joy to the Saviour whom she loved. During 
twelve years she has been at my side, my counsellor, compan¬ 
ion and friend, the light and joy of my household, — and now 
I am indeed desolate and afflicted. Here is her rocking-chair, 
her work-box, her Bible, and a thousand familiar things ; arid 
O, how my heart yearns to behold her once more! 

“My children are at Dr. Hedenborg’s to-day, and in this 
sacred chamber 1 have been endeavoring to realize my loss, 
and to inquire into the meaning of this bereavement. I see 
clearly that twelve years of unfaithfulness in the service of 
God, twelve years of continued blessings and constant ingrati 
tude, twelve years of social happiness, unmindful of the Giver, 
who should have had the supreme affections of my soul, and 
the service of every hour and of every faculty, — this has led 
him to chasten me in a manner that I could not disregard. I 
have endeavored this day humbly and penitently to confess all 
my sins, and have besought him to grant me full and free for¬ 
giveness, and not to reject me from the work in which I have 
hitherto been so unfaithful and unfruitful.” 

It was a merciful providence that in a land of stran¬ 
gers gave to Mr. Hamlin and his family friends whose 
sympathy and kindness, during their season of peculiar 
trial, were most grateful and consoling. He thus 
acknowledges his obligations: 

“ My warmest gratitude is due to the English consul and 

25 * 


294 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


lady, Mr and Mrs. Kerr, and to the Chevalier Hedenhorg and 
lady, for their kind and unremitted attentions to my departed 
wife and my motherless children. The Russian and Danish 
consuls have also shown me every kindness. May the Lord 
reward them all with infinite blessings in his eternal kingdom! ” 

That long month of solitary meditation in the death- 
hallowed chamber, and beside the grave of the departed 
one, at length passed away. For many days previous 
to the steamer’s expected arrival, high gales of wind 
swept along the coast. The night before their de¬ 
parture, Mr. Hamlin lay awake listening to the angry 
surge as it beat against the shore. In those silent 
watches, he lifted up his heart to God in behalf of 
his tender flock. As they entered the steamer the 
next morning, the wind was dying away, and during 
their whole passage the sea was quiet and the weather 
mild, until they arrived within about thirty miles of the 
Golden Horn. Had they sailed at the time they at¬ 
tempted, one month before, their passage would have 
been cold and stormy, while now, in mid-winter, it was 
delightful. When near their desired haven, the winds 
were let loose; but they were then in a position to enjoy 
the exhibition of God’s power, as they had before 
enjoyed the wonders of his love. 

We will not attempt to follow this bereaved family 
as they entered their desolated home. He who had 
sustained them through such heart-rending scenes did 
not forsake them now. 


“ She is still (says Mr. Hamlin) our guiding star. Every¬ 
thing tells of her. Here is her last work, the thread half 
sewed, the needle as placed by her own dear hand, the scissors, 
the thimble, all in the work-basket just as she left them.” 

Among his neighbors, the rich and poor united in 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


295 


their expressions of grief and condolence for his irre¬ 
parable loss. Breaking away from the bigotry of their 
church, they spoke of the departed as the “ beloved of 
God ” called home to heaven. The aged Kera Maria, 
whose benefactress she had been, freely poured out her 
tears, exclaiming, “What, shall I see her no more in 
this hall ? She always spoke to me more sweetly than 
my own daughters. Others have been very kind, but 
your lady was different from them all. There is none 
like her in this world.” 

From the beloved missionary circle, from which they 
had been so long exiled, this mourning family received 
every possible sympathy and kindness. To the com¬ 
mon cause, so dear to all their hearts, Mr. Hamlin, after 
his baptism of suffering, devoted himself with renewed 
ardor. 

“ Then cheerly to your work again, 

With heart new-braced and set, 

To run untired love’s blessed race, 

As meet for those who, face to face, 

Over the grave their Lord have met.” 

“ I anticipate (he writes) greater satisfaction in the mission¬ 
ary work than I have ever before experienced. After offering 
upon this altar a beloved wife, let the remainder of my days be 
consecrated to it anew.” 

But those children , upon whom, in the morning of 
life, had fallen such a great sorrow,—who, in that large 
household, and with only unfaithful servants to care 
for them,— who is to fill the yearning void in their 
hearts ? who is to be to them a mother, and train them 
up for heaven? To such trials parents in Christian 
lands are comparative strangers. 

In considering the question whether he should sunder 
that precious band, and send his cherished little ones 


296 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


across tie wide waters to America, their afflicted father 
writes: 

“ The most momentous responsibility, the sharpest trial, and 
the heaviest cross to which the missionary is called, relate to 
his children. There is nothing to be thrown off or evaded. 
He must decide alone, and the results will be eternal to those 
for whom he would joyfully sacrifice life itself. I never felt 
parental responsibility before.” 

“ Father, are you never going to take me home 
again ? ’ ’ asks one of his little girls, about three years 
old, as she looks earnestly into his face. He had ac¬ 
cepted the kind offer of a missionary sister, and placed 
this child with her for a time. It is not strange, under 
these various circumstances of trial, that even the 
younger children should long have mourned for their 
mother. In a letter nearly four months after her death, 
Mr. Hamlin writes of the same child above-mentioned : 

“ A few days since, I heard little Abbie thus interceding 
with her mother: ‘ 0, mother dear! if God has made you well, 
why don’t you come again to our home ? Come, mother dear, 
and I will climb up and put my arms around your neck, and 
kiss you, and give you flowers and walnuts. 0, mother dear, 
mother dear! ’ Her little voice was so earnest and plaintive 
that the recollection of it brings tears to my eyes.” 

Stricken brother, thy way is thorny, but One hath 
trodden it before thee ! 

“ It was no path of flowers, 

Through this dark world of ours, 

Beloved of the Father, thou didst tread; 

And shall we in dismay 
Shrink from the narrow way, 

When clouds and darkness are around it spread 1 ” 


CLOSING TRIBUTES. 


** 0 thou who mournest on thy way. 

With longings for the close of day, 

He walks with thee, that angel kind, 

And gently whispers, * Be resigned ! 

Bear up, bear on, — the end shall tell 
The dear Lord ordereth all things well.’ ** 

J. G. Whittier. 

From the numerous letters testifying to the regard in 
which Mrs. Hamlin was held by those who knew her, 
and breathing the spirit of consolation, we cannot for¬ 
bear making a few extracts. 

Says the Rev. Dr. Woods, of Andover : 

“ From the beginning of my acquaintance with Mrs. Ham¬ 
lin, [ was impressed with the amiable simplicity, modesty and 
affectionateness, of her character. She possessed a very culti¬ 
vated understanding, ancf a refined taste. Her manner was 
peculiarly delicate and unassuming, and her excellence of 
character was the more lovely because it never sought to dis¬ 
play itself. When I was informed of her consent to go to a 
distant country as the wife of a missionary, I rejoiced in the 
accession to the cause of one so intelligent and discreet, so 
attractive in her personal appearance and manners, and so 
manifestly possessed of mature and active piety. Her life was 
short. But in her own sphere, as a wife, a mother, and an 
assistant in the work of teaching the principles of the Christian 
religion to the ignorant and perishing, the amount of her use¬ 
fulness was by no means small. By her labors, her example, 
her life and her prayers, she exerted an influence on multitudes 


298 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


in her home circle and in a foreign land, which will not soon 
pass away.” 

From the Rev. Mr. Powers, at Sivas: 

“ Mrs. Hamlin in her death has spoken to many who never 
heard her living voice. The account of her last days reached 
me on a day observed by the little band of brethren here for 
fasting and prayer. I communicated to them the substance of 
that baptismal scene you so touchingly describe, at which 
every eye was bathed in tears. The people of Sivas till now 
never heard of such triumphant faith, such meek submission, 
and such heavenly peace and joy in the chamber of death. 
And even the Pasha of this place has listened with interest 
and delight to the account, as presented to him by one of the 
brethren, a few days after. He has received an impression 
respecting the Christian’s life and the Christian’s death such 
as few Pashas ever had before. How sublime is such a death¬ 
bed scene ! How sweet the savor of it that remains to surviv¬ 
ing friends ! How rich, how invaluable will the recollection of 
it be to you and your children, through life ! ” 

From Mrs. Brown, a sister of Commodore Porter, 
who has long been deeply interested in the missionary 
3ause, and was for many years a warm friend of Mrs. 
Hamlin: 

“ There is scarcely an American heart in Constantinople that 
has not been pierced by the same dart that has wounded yours ; 
for I vvell know that our dear departed friend was loved, 
respected and honored, by all. Her sweetness of character, her 
highly-cultivated mind, her gentle and graceful deportment, 
rendered her a model well worthy of imitation; and I am sure 
that not one of our circle would be longer lamented than she 
will be.” 

Still later, she writes : 

“ Her image is indelibly impressed upon my memory. And 


. MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


299 


the recollection of the unbounded kindnesses that I have 
received from her, both in sickness and in health, can never be 
effaced. Neither my pen nor my tongue is capable of expressing 
the admiration, love and gratitude I feel, and have always felt, 
for her, and for her kindness to me. All who knew her loved 
her and admired her; but it was only those who have experi¬ 
enced her kind attention, as I have, when laid upon a sick bed, 
who could fully appreciate her kind and feeling heart, and her 
amiable and lovely character. She was so thoughtful for oth¬ 
ers, particularly those who were sick or in any way afflicted, 
that she would forget her own weakness while ministering to 
them. 

“ The poor and the needy, though sometimes unworthy, were 
never turned empty away. Many a loaf of bread have I seen 
her cut in two to give one-half to them.” 

From Rev. Dr. Perkins, of Oroomiah : 

“We retain a most delightful recollection of our dear 
departed sister, so gentle, so kind, so refined, so accomplished, 
so active and so efficient as a missionary, so heavenly in her 
whole temper and character. We well remember the first time 
we saw you both, across the double railing, when we were in 
quarantine on the opposite side of the Bosphorus from Bebek. 
How grateful were your faces to us then, though strangers, in 
our wearisome confinement! . And how did all your own and 
your dear wife’s subsequent kindness endear you to our hearts! 
Blessed one! she is now still more perfect and lovely, in her 
angelic garb in heaven. Thanks be unto God for his unspeak¬ 
able gift! ” 

From Rev. Mr. Wood, formerly associated with Mr. 
Hamlin in the seminary at Bebek, but now assistant 
secretary of the American Board : 

“ I cannot express to you with what solemn, painful, and yet 
delighted interest I have read the accounts of the closing 
scenes of the life of our dear sister. I mourn, my dear 


300 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


brother, as partaker with you in this deep affliction. But how 
much there is in connection with it to console, an even to 
rejoice your heart! 

“ I have never read a death-bed scene which seemed to me 
so beautiful and sublime. The recollection of it will ever 
remain as a balm in your heart, and in the hearts of all who 
loved her. I read at the ministers’ meeting the account of the 
baptismal and of the closing scene. Every eye was bathed in 
tears. At the close, Dr. Lansing led in prayer, with the tears 
streaming down his cheeks. He commended you and the 
children to God, using, among others, this expression, ‘ And as 
we heard it, every heart did say, O Lord, bless the baby! ’ ” 

The following is an extract from the Rev. Mr. Good- 
ell’s sermon, delivered in the seminary at Bebek, on the 
occasion of Mrs. Hamlin’s death: 

“ My friends, one who but as yesterday lived and moved 
amongst us, one from our own little circle, the former occupant 
of this mansion, has, we doubt not, recently gone to the rest of 
heaven. And, though we may weep tears of sorrow for those 
she has left behind, yet for her we will weep only tears of joy 
and thankfulness. The loss to her family is indeed great, and 
to human view it seems irreparable. But she has not left them 
comfortless. Her prayers for them were answered; and the 
blessed Comforter has himself come ‘ to abide with them for¬ 
ever.’ ‘ The heart of her husband safely trusted in her,’ and 
‘her children rise up and call her blessed.’ She was one indeed 
in whom all her friends could safely confide; for whose confi¬ 
dence did she ever betray ? Which one of us did she ever 
meet without the smile of welcome ? Who of us ever heard 
from her lips any words but those of sisterly kindness and love ? 
What examples did she ever set us but those of meekness, 
cheerfulness, candor, order, industry, economy, patience, de¬ 
votedness to her husband and children, and entire consecration 
to the great work for which she came to this land ? In this 
large establishment, her cares and inconveniences must at 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


301 


times have been very many, and her self-denials often very 
great; but who ever heard from her a single murmur, or even a 
sigh of complaint ? If she ever told her griefs, it was not to 
us, but to Him ‘ who seeth in secret.’ 

“ The loss to this seminary is a great one, for her influence 
on it was good, and only good. The loss to the poor of this 
village is also great, for she was the succorer of many. The 
loss to our whole circle is one that will be long felt, for she 
was greatly beloved by us all. But our loss, we doubt not, is 
her eternal gain. 

“In her last illness, though her bodily distress was often 
very great, and her spiritual conflicts at times very severe, yet 
‘the grace of God was exceeding abundant,’ and she was 
enabled to triumph over all. Her attachment to her family 
was one of uncommon tenderness and strength; and it seemed 
to her at first that a separation from them was among the 
things that could not be. But, through divine grace, she was 
enabled to give them all up to the Lord with the greatest 
cheerfulness, and with the very highest confidence, and to feel 
that all was just as it should be. Death came towards her ‘as 
the king of terrors,’ and his onward strides she observed with 
most fixed attention and with solemn awe; but, on a nearer 
approach, she found ‘the sting of death’ was entirely removed 
by Christ, and this king of terrors she hailed as a friend to 
bring her where she longed to go. 

“ Of our beloved sister we could indeed say much, both as 
to her life of faith and her death of triumph. But most dis¬ 
tinctly and most devoutly would we acknowledge that it was 
‘not by works of righteousness which she had done,’ but 
through grace alone, that she obtained the victory. And we 
know it would be the wish of her heart that on this occasion 
we speak not of her, but only of that precious One on whom 
she believed, by whose strength she triumphed over sin and 
the grave, and through whose death, we doubt not, she now 
has life, and has it more abundantly than ever before. Blessed 
be God that, though our griefs be many, our joys are greater 
than our griefs ! For fresh proof we have now that ‘ the Son 


302 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


of God hath indeed come,’and ‘hath given unto us eternal 
life.’ Fresh proof have we now that the Prince of Life ‘hath 
abolished death.’ Fresh evidence have we now seen that who¬ 
soever believeth in the living Saviour ‘ shall never die.’ Yes, 
my brethren, in the rich experience of our departed friend, we 
have a new instance, and a very illustrious one, of the power 
of faith, of the preciousness of the gospel of Christ, and of the 
truth and stability of all the divine promises.” 

From the Rev. Mr. Schauflier’s sermon, on the same 
occasion: 

“ 2 Tim. 1:10. * Who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and 
immortality to light through the gospel.* 

“ Our text is a clear and bright stream of light poured upon 
the darkest of all the subjects connected with human existence 
— death . And so intense is the light which is- thus converged 
upon this black spot of solid darkness, that the darkness itself 
becomes radiant, and the frowning cloud, fraught with the chill 
horror of death, is turned into a pearly gate, half revealing and 
half concealing the ‘ eternal weight of glory ’ which Christ has 
prepared for them that love him. 

“ What remains of the bitterness of death to the children of 
God is but the reminiscence of the fall; and even that bitter¬ 
ness is sanctified and turned into a means of grace by the par¬ 
ticipation of the Son of God in the same, and is either sweet¬ 
ened by his sympathy, or, as it often is, entirely removed by 
the power of divine grace, and the cheering presence of the 
Prince of Life. Pain and disease are to them an humbling, 
instructive, and invaluable illustration of the nature of sin and 
its deserts, a school of patience, and an exercise of filial sub¬ 
mission to the will of God; and thus another bond of inward 
union and fellowship with the suffering and dying Saviour. 

“ And with these bodily trials there may be mingled severe 
inward contests. There may be solemn and awful searchings 
of heart as to approaching eternity, deeply humbling and 
melting seasons of self-condemnation. The waters may rise, 
and sweep in terrible majesty over the soul. God is holy, 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


303 


— a consuming fire to sin, wherever it is found. What shall 
we say, when our lives are unfolded before our eyes, and that 
in the light of eternity, already casting its peering ray across 
the narrow stream, and in view of the sacredness of the divine 
law, which cannot be violated without just and eternal con¬ 
demnation? But Jesus is an all-sufficient and almighty 
Saviour. Resting on this Rock, the soul is safe against 
despair. The struggle gradually passes, the clouds are scat¬ 
tered we know not how, hope brightens, sweet assurance flows 
like a balm over the wounded soul, Jesus draws near, the soul 
feels the irresistible attraction, and desires to depart, and to see 
him as he is. At last the heart stops beating, the breath 
ceases, the brittle thread of life is severed, and an eternal 
weight of glory bursts upon the sight! Was this severing of 
soul and body death? No such thing. It was the triumph of 
the soul over death; and the inspired sentiment would have 
been no hyperbole in the mouth of the departing saint, when it 
proclaims the triumph of faith, shouting, O death! where is 
thy sting ? O grave ! where is thy victory ? 

“ The text of this discourse was suggested by the departure 
of our dear friend, Mrs. Henrietta Hamlin. In adding a few 
words more particularly relating to her character, I would real¬ 
ize, that in her life she was like the sensitive plant, modestly 
shrinking even from the gentlest touch; and that the graces 
with which she was gifted can be appreciated only when 
observed secretly, as they grow, bud and blossom, in their native 
shade of deep retirement. Publicity they fear. But I would 
also realize that those graces were not hers, but lent to her, a 
talent to ‘ occupy,’ in His service, and for His glory, who gave 
them ; and that this great object of the bestowment is certainly 
promoted, at least in part, by making her speak, though she is 
dead. 

“ It was the pleasure of God to call our departed friend into 
his service at an early period of her life. This might have 
been expected, as the result of the divine blessing upon the 
faith, the prayers, and the efforts of pious and intelligent 


3)4 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


parents, and as the fruit of that retiring and reflecting cast of 
mind which it pleased God to give her as a natural endowment. 
Natural and providential gifts, tending to the solution of the 
great problem of our existence, are not the less divine gifts, nor 
the less precious for coming to us in the way of nature, or of 
providence. Nor are we the less responsible for them to God, 
on that account. 

“ But what perhaps few would have expected was her call to 
the missionary work. Minds so deeply retiring are generally 
supposed not to be sufficiently aggressive for that work, — and, 
abstractedly considered, this view is correct. But as in his 
home, so also in his foreign service, the Lord employs all tem¬ 
peraments and all gifts, provided they are sanctified, and 
devoted to his service. Our departed sister had grace thus to 
devote herself unconditionally to the Lord, and, contrary to the 
expectation of many, and perhaps contrary to her own expecta¬ 
tions, He sent her into the foreign field, to the centre of Islam- 
ism, into the midst of an idolatrous oriental church, and at a 
time, too, when persecution was raging with terrible fury, and 
when the very existence of the mission was extremely precari¬ 
ous. But He had sent her, and she went; and as her day 
was, so was her strength. The promises of God are ‘ without 
repentance.’ 

“By a kind and striking providence, our departed friend was 
called to a field of labor so congenial to her temperament and 
her retiring habits, that the latter interfered in no way with the 
most faithful discharge of her regular duties. Thus those traits 
of character which might have prevented her engaging in the 
missionary work, had she herself taken the responsibility of 
deciding the case, were most manifestly and wisely overruled 
by Providence. Surely the maternal supervision of an insti¬ 
tution which soon became a school of prophets, together with 
the care of her family, and with the attention which visitors 
and inquirers often claimed, was enough for any missionary 
sister, and more than enough for one of such slender health. 

“ Of the manner in which she was enabled to discharge her 
duty, and of her whole life on missionary ground, I need not 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


305 


speali in particular; nor would our time permit me to draw the 
picture of a life made up of constant unremitted kindnesses to 
all around, — kindnesses too modestly performed to attract 
attention, too constant to be noticed as extraordinary. 

“ Would you hear of her benevolence to, and her sympathy 
for, the suffering ? Ask the poor and sick of this village, whom 
she served in her day. Let them tell their tales. 

“ The accuracy, I could say the energy, with which she 
managed the domestic concerns of the institution and of her 
family, received its daily testimony from the neat and orderly 
appearance of both. Seldom, if ever, was a kind maternal 
regard to the real wants and claims of the members of so great 
a household better combined with that strict economy which 
Christian principles inspire. Hence it is that she had the 
affection and the regard cf all under her roof. The pupils 
stepped lightly over head, and often walked in their stockings, 
when they knew or but suspected that she was incommoded by 
a heedless gait in heavy shoes. To refuse or evade any wish 
of hers would have required the most extraordinary rudeness 
in them, and I doubt whether she ever had a disappointment of 
this kind to suffer. All her neighbors, as soon as they real¬ 
ized at all her character, treated her with distinguished respect 
and kindness. The missionary circle of which she was a 
member, though always blest with harmony of heart and work, 
will gladly acknowledge her to have been an ornament to 
them. To none of them has she ever given occasion for an 
unkind thought or emotion. As far as she was known, so far 
she was beloved and esteemed. When she was carried down 
in her rocking-chair hung on poles to the Bosphorus, to go on 
board of the steamer which conveyed her to Rhodes, I feel 
most confident in saying that she left no enemy behind her 
On the contrary, she carried away with her the respect and 
the affection of her fellow-laborers, of her countrymen, of all 
her acquaintances among foreigners, and of all the natives of 
every nation with whom she had come into contact. 

“ Of the wife and the mother , I will let the husband and the 
older children speak. I trust they will speak of her while they 
26 * 


306 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


live, till they meet with her in glory. But one thing I will 
venture to say. Much as they loved and esteemed her, — and, 
as it is apt to go with human affections, they may, in this 
respect, have gone even too far, at times. — yet they never 
knew her value till she was gone. Never did her bereaved 
husband realize the amount and the extent of her cares and her 
labors of love, till he returned to his desolated house, while her 
industrious hands were folded in her grave in Rhodes, resting 
from their well-done work. Never did he fully realize the 
value of her influence upon the children, till her tongue lay 
silent in the dust. Never did he adequately feel the value of 
her society after the heat and burden of his daily work, till the 
solitary evening hours, and the silent walls of his room, spoke 
to him of a loss which he learned to appreciate more deeply 
every day. Never did the children feel the sweetness of her 
affection, and the charm of her smiles, till that heart had 
ceased to beat, and those features, transformed to cold marble, 
had been fixed in their last deep sleep, preparatory to the great 
resurrection morning. 

“ Her missionary life was not without some severe trials of 
feeling, but they were borne silently; she wept sometimes, but 
she never murmured, nor complained even, so far as I know. 

“ Thus did the current of her life flow on, in even tenor, 
quietly, till her last trials approached, followed by the triumph 
of faith in Christ. 

“The Spirit of grace, intending to lead her deeper into Christ 
than ever before, disclosed before her the glory of the divine 
character, and the utter unworthiness of our best deeds before 
him. And the path in which He led her, from the gloomy 
depths of contrition and self-loathing, to the clear and placid 
light shining around the cloudless height of Pisgah — that 
path is indeed radiant with divine wisdom and mercy. From 
that eminence she had a full view of the merits of Christ, the 
perfection and the all-sufficiency of the atonement made by the 
Lamb of God, and of that eternal weight of glory beyond the 
grave which free grace has procured for every penitent and 
believing soul. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


307 


“ The path of our beloved sister, from the time when the 
cloud was past, shone more and more unto the perfect day. 
Thus the experience of her last days exhibits all that the Chris¬ 
tian can desire to find in his own spiritual state. I the chief 
of sinners — Christ a perfect Saviour; I nothing — He all; I, 
such as I am, His forever, — He, such as He is, forever mine. 
In such a frame of mind she departed from this world of sin 
and sorrow, and her end was peace — ‘ perfect peace.’ ” 


SUMMARY OF CHARACTER. 


“ To smell this flower, come near it; such can grow 
In that sole garden where Christ’s brow dropped blood.” 

Mrs. E. B. Browning. 

There is a delightful variety in the world of nature, 
and each species of every genus, perfect in its kind, 
commands our admiration. The delicate and fragrant 
heliotrope is no less lovely than the beautiful and bril¬ 
liant rose. This variety we find not less in the moral 
than the material world, and our judgment of many 
things depends upon the question of their fitness for 
their own place. 

In estimating character, we must take this same gen¬ 
eral law into the account. As there are various spheres 
of action, so God fits different individuals for these 
various spheres. There are noble women like Ann 
Judson and Mary Lyon,— women endowed by Heaven 
with rare gifts for the fulfilling of some peculiar 
mission. 

For her heroic daring and martyr-spirit, the name of 
the former is embalmed in the church as one of the 
most efficient pioneers in the Burmese mission. By 
her unparalleled energy, directed to a single object and 
hallowed by supreme love to God, Mary Lyon has 
raised for herself a monument that shall last while the 
mind of man endureth. 

There are others fitted by nature, as by culture, for a 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


309 


more retired though not less beneficent sphere, and who 
none the less adorn that sphere. And yet the delinea¬ 
tion of such a character, and that where there is little 
incident, is a work of no ordinary difficulty and 
delicacy. 

Mrs. Hamlin’s character was from childhood remark¬ 
ably well balanced, both morally and intellectually. 
Possessed of great refinement and sensibility, she was 
yet firm in purpose and persevering in execution. 
With unusual powers of discrimination, she had great 
sweetness of temper and benevolence of disposition. 
Her natural traits were such as we rarely see combined, 
and her retiring modesty gave a fresh charm to these 
golden virtues. Lovely and attractive in countenance 
and manner, ardent, imaginative and highly cultivated, 
she could not fail to awaken a deep interest in those 
who knew her. 

That same love of the beautiful which marked her 
earliest childhood continued until her dying hour. It 
was a spontaneous growth of her being, an instinctive 
appreciation of every type of beauty and sublimity in 
every department of nature and of art. But it was re¬ 
fined and spiritualized by her religious character. In 
holding communion with the visible creation, her heart 
ascended in silent worship to the unseen and adorable 
Creator. 


“ Her mind was a thanksgiving to the Power 
That made her ; it was blessedness and love.” 

From the moment of her consecration to the mission¬ 
ary work, a sweeter, a purer light encircles her. We 
see a woman of a high order of intellect, of peculiar 
delicacy, and of acute sensibility, calmly bidding a last 
adieu to her home and friends. We see her, with sin¬ 
gleness of spirit and in simplicity of faith, entering 


310 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


upon her field of labor, and assuming the duties of her 
great missionary household. We follow her in her 
course, as with a sustained energy and an all-pervading 
conscientiousness she faithfully and cheerfully performs 
its arduous but unostentatious duties. 

By nature she was so shrinking and sensitive as to 
seem unfitted for the trials and hardships of missionary 
life. This, with her want of experience in domestic 
cares, from being the youngest in the family, together 
with her studious habits, rendered it doubtful how she 
would succeed at the head of such an establishment. 
But, with all her sensitiveness, there was developed a 
firmness of resolve and a practical common sense, 
which, when occasion required, overcame her natural 
timidity, and gave her an executive ability which sup¬ 
plied to her the place of experience. Her views were 
clear and discriminating, and in the many questions of 
life her judgments were accurate and just. And what 
was unusual in connection with such keen sensibility 
was her peculiar power of self-control. In great emer¬ 
gencies, however trying, she was calm and self- 
possessed. 

She was economical, industrious and inventive, 
sometimes playfully boasting of her mechanical skill as 
hardly inferior to that of her husband. And she was 
as hospitable as economical, cordially entertaining her 
numerous guests with an ease and grace peculiar to 
herself. To the health and comfort of her missionary 
brothers and sisters she was ever ready to minister. 
Her kindness to the poor, and her sweetness yet dignity 
of manner, imperceptibly overcame the prejudices and 
won the regards of all her neighbors. It may truly be 
said of her that she delighted in the exercise of those 
“ lesser charities which soothe, and cheer, and bless,” 
and which are the crown of all the adornments of social 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


311 


life. If her feelings were ever wounded,— and whose 
are not? — it was in secret places that she wept, and 
then came forth with an unclouded brow. 

Her truthful and conscientious spirit gained her the 
confidence of those who knew her, and her lovely and 
noble qualities of mind and heart won their affection. 
In the arduous labors of her companion, she ever 
cheered and sustained him, while upon all around she 
exerted an influence gentle, yet beneficent as the 
distilling dew. 

As the head of a household, she was distinguishes 
for a mild efficiency and perseverance, administering 
rebuke to her servants when necessary, but so kindly 
that in some instances her efforts were well rewarded. 

As a wife and mother, her tender affection and fidel¬ 
ity were never surpassed. It was in her family that 
her retiring and attractive virtues shone with their own 
peculiar lustre. Her devotion to it was quiet, but unre¬ 
mitting. It was her world, and she was its presiding, 
animating spirit. Here she reigned by the power of 
taste, refinement and love. Her light step never flagged 
till all was done. Unfathomed were the depths of that 
loving nature, leading to a ceaseless self-forgetfulness. 
Not the cold waters of death rising over her could for 
one moment abate her self-sacrificing thoughtfulness 
for those she loved. 

Her views of religious truth were clear, distinctive 
and scriptural. And. superadded to a natural conscien¬ 
tiousness, was her high sense of personal responsibility. 
This was the controlling motive-power of her life, 
— a power maintained and strengthened by her daily 
habit of studying the oracles of divine truth, and of 
communion with God in prayer. However manifold 
and arduous might be her duties, and however distract¬ 
ing her cares, she never forgot where to look for guid- 


312 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


ance and support. Her window looked out upon the 
beautiful scenery of the Bosphorus. And in the mem¬ 
ory of her elder daughters will linger her image, as she 
sat morning and evening by this window, perusing to¬ 
gether the book of nature and the book of God. Price¬ 
less is the value of such a habit, clearing away the 
clouds which passion and earthliness gather around the 
spirit, and through the purified atmosphere giving the 
soul sweet visions of the heavenly land. The Chris¬ 
tian’s brow would be oftener unclouded, did he visit 
more frequently the mount of prayer. There the 
wounds received by contact with the world are all 
healed, and the heart rests in the fulness of infinite 
love. 

It was this perpetual intercourse with the invisible 
world which brought to our friend strength from above 
for her daily trials, and wisdom for her various duties ; 
which gave consistency and spirituality to her charac¬ 
ter, and invested her with a peculiar charm. 

“ When one that holds communion with the skies 
Has filled his urn where those pure waters rise, 

And once more mingles with us meaner things, 

’Tis e’en as if an angel shook his wings ; 

Immortal fragrance fills the circuit wide, 

That tells us whence his treasures are supplied.” 

Such was the mission of Henrietta Hamlin, and, by 
the grace of God, it was nobly fulfilled; nor can we 
doubt that she received from her Master’s lips the 
award of “ Well Done.” 


THE REINTERMENT. 


** Calm on the seas and silver sleep. 

And waves that sway themselves in rest. 

And dead calm in that noble breast 
Which heaves but with the heaving deep.” 

In Memonam. 

It is not strange that the bereaved husband should 
often recur to the desire of his departed companion to 
sleep where her children could stand beside her grave, 
and recall her last counsels. No wonder that, when at 
the sweet sunset hour he sat with his motherless flock 
beneath his trellised vine, and gazed at the hills 
sprinkled over with white daisies, and at the bright 
Bosphorus, whose opposite shores, glowing in the sun¬ 
light, were reflected to him in all the rich hues of the 
orient, while the tall palm-trees were budding and blos¬ 
soming into beauty,— no wonder, when contemplating 
a scene which the departed loved so well, that he 
longed for the time when he could meditate beside her 
remains ! 

In this feeling he seemed justified, not only by the 
dying wishes of his wife, but by the laws of memory 
and association. Sweet and profitable it is to muse by 
the graves of those we love. In speaking on this sub¬ 
ject, Mr. Hamlin says: 

“ I wish so to impress the remembrance of their mother upon 
her children, that they shall remember, if possible, her material 

27 


314 


MEMOIRS OP MRS. HAMLIN. 


form and countenance till the resurrection. With desire I 
have desired to accomplish this request, and though I may have 
some difficulties with the authorities, I hope and pray that a 
favoring Providence may help me through. I trust the ‘peace’ 
of the dear invalid will in some degree be given me, and that 
in going and coming I shall dwell in the secret of His 
pavilion.” 

J At the commencement of the seminary vacation, in 
the latter part of August 1851. he made arrangements 
to leave for Rhodes : 

“ I made my preparations, and spent the evening and night 
before I left home in absolute solitude. How did the memory 
of the past rush upon me, as I took out her trunk to pack in 
my solitary house, after all my children and scholars had 
departed! ” 

The circumstances attending the fulfilling of this 
sacred mission are so peculiar and affecting, that we 
cannot refrain from giving the account in his own 
words: 


C “ Ottoman Steamer, Yaliari Bahari, 

( in the Gulf at Smyrna, Sept. 9, 1851. 

“ I wrote you on my way to Rhodes, and now, by a singular 
providence, I am making my quarantine in the splendid saloon 
of the Pasha of Aleppo, who passed Rhodes on his way to 
Constantinople. But let me tell you of my visit, with its 
trials, sorrows and joys. It has been a period of my life never 
to be forgotten. I passed Patmos at the same hour in the 
morning that Henrietta and I passed it eleven months before. 
I sat down on the deck and read the whole of Revelation, 
with the island in sight, and thought of the glorified spir t 
who now understands, as we cannot, that divine book. The 
sunset, as we drew near to Rhodes, was the most peculiar and 
impressive that I ever beheld. I have perhaps seen the sun 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


315 


approach its setting 1 in equal glory and magnificence, and have 
seen the west as widely illuminated with his splendor; but his 
light became pure and brilliant, like the purest light of the 
morning star, and then, a beautiful golden tinge passing over 
its disk, it suddenly disappeared. Some of the heedless pas¬ 
sengers noticed it with exclamations of surprise. I thought of 
a redeemed soul entering the gates of bliss. It seemed given 
me as a faint emblem of her whose mortal remains I had come 
to claim. We did not reach the harbor till seven o’clock, and 
the gates of the city being shut, we could not land. The new 
moon was shining peacefully upon us, the evening breeze blew 
fresh and strong, and the waves broke upon the long sandy 
shore in one direction, and dashed against the gray stones in 
another, at the foot of the old battlements and towers; the 
merry songs of the Greek boatmen filled the harbor; some ves¬ 
sels were passing by, and others beating up against the breeze. 
But more than all that deep and solemn cadence of the sea 
against the shore where she was sleeping, brought back those 
nights of watching, when I used to listen to the same sound, 
and think of the approaching separation. It would be impos¬ 
sible for me to tell you how solemn, how tender, how enchain¬ 
ing were those lines from Tennyson, which seemed written for 
that place and that evening: 


* Break , break , break , 

On thy cold gray stones , 0 sea / 

And I would that my tongue could utter 
The thoughts that arise in me. 

* 0, well for the fisherman’s boy 

That he shouts with his sister at play ; 
0, well for the sailor lad, 

That he sings in his boat on the bay. 

* And the stately ships go on 

To their haven under the hill ; 

But O for the touch of a vanished hand. 

And the sound of a voice that is still ! 

* Break, break, break, 

At the foot of thy crags, 0 sea ! 


316 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


But the tender grace of a day that is dead 
Shall never come back to me ! * 

“ With many tender thoughts of that voice which is still, and 
of the touch of that vanished hand, I went early in the morn¬ 
ing, as soon as I could land, to the grave. No idlers were 
about, and I could stand and meditate over her place of lowly 
rest. 1 then returned to the city, and passed up through the 
Street of the Knights, the street through which I bore her 
when we landed at Rhodes, and through which I passed every 
day for her medicines. It brought back her sweet image to my 
mind more vividly than I had anticipated. Every stone in the 
street, and the old knightly armorials on the walls, seemed to 
speak of those days. As I was passing an old Greek woman, 
she suddenly seized my hand and kissed it most fervently, 
raising at the same time a loud voice of lamentation, * O thy 
children! O their mother! 0 thy children ! 0 their mother !’ 
It was a poor old woman I sometimes employed to bring us 
things for the house. Her sudden and wild grief, oriental as it 
was, overcame me for a moment, and I wept for the ‘ chil¬ 
dren ’ and ‘ their mother.’ 

“ I found the house unoccupied, obtained its keys, and with 
a trembling heart entered its sacred rooms. I knelt again, my 
dear friend, on the very spot where I knelt to give and receive 
the last kiss, and to feel the touch of that hand, which, though 
it had for hours been motionless, she extended to say farewell. 
I passed many most solemn and affecting, and I may say some 
most happy hours, in that room. I was in the house alone day 
and night, except when occupied about the exhumation of the 
dear remains. My strength was prostrated. I had supersti¬ 
tion, and fear, and prejudice, and bigotry, to contend with, and 
my best friend there, the English consul, advised me to give 
up the enterprise as wholly impracticable, till some English 
national vessel should touch there on its way to Constantino¬ 
ple. I replied that I should begin by overcoming the first 
obstacles to the exhumation, and that as to the rest, relatino- to 
the excitement in the neighborhood, the quarantine laws, and 
the transportation, I would overcome them, if possible, in sue- 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 317 

cession; if not possible, I would then submit as to the will of 
God, and reinter the remains. ‘ You are on the right princi¬ 
ple,’ said he, ‘ and I will help you all I can,’ — a promise he 
nobly redeemed. I will not weary you with the long, long 
story. I accomplished the exhumation in the night of Septem¬ 
ber 2d, and transferred the remains myself to the metallic case 
September 3 d. The decomposition, it is true, was entire, but, 
covering the face, the beautiful contour of the head and 
forehead was her own. How memory recalled the bridal 
morning just thirteen years before! I again kissed that 
forehead, in unutterable sorrow and bitterness of soul. I 
sealed up the remains, and kept them with me in our 
house till I left. I had many solemn and penitential reviews 
of past life, and time for prayer and comniunion with God. 
On Saturday, September 6, about three o’clock in the after¬ 
noon, the Austrian steamer was announced, by the raising of 
the Austrian flag. The agent had forbidden my taking the 
remains with me, nor could I overcome his objections. No 
vessel in the harbor would take them. I was compelled, there¬ 
fore, to bid farewell to that house, and leave the sacred treasure 
there, hoping the English boat, ten days later, would take it. I 
hastened down to the Austrian boat to return to my little flock, 
when lo! it proved a Turkish government war-steamer, with 
the Pasha of Aleppo on board. The English consul immedi¬ 
ately requested Hallit Pasha, now at Rhodes, — brother-in- 
law to the Sultan, — to intercede for a passage with the 
remains. The consul requested it, unknown to me, ‘ as a per¬ 
sonal favor to himself,’ and assured the pasha that the American 
minister at Constantinople would acknowledge it as an act of 
national courtesy and friendship. The quarantine doctor at 
the same time went to assure the pasha and the commander 
of the steamer that the case was scientifically prepared, sol¬ 
dered and sealed with every skill and precaution. The pasha 
very kindly acceded, and in one hour after the request reached 
him I was on board, thankful and rejoicing with my precious 
treasure. How wonderful is the providence of God! I had 
struggled through many difficulties, in great bodily weakness, 

27 * 


318 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


but there was one I could not overcome. I prayed that if it 
was consistent with the Divine will that obstacle also might be 
removed; and lo! a Turkish pasha comes, and with more 
humanity, kindness and nobility of soul, than could be found 
among Austrians and Greeks, my request is most unexpectedly 
answered. ‘ Whoso is wise and will observe these things, 
shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.’ 

“ The pasha and suite make their quarantine on shore, and 
he has left me in entire possession of the quarter-deck, with a 
spacious awning, and of his cabin and saloon, besides my own 
state-room. Here I can read, and write, and think, and pray. 
The meeting of the American Board commences to-day. Thir¬ 
teen years ago I was there with my Henrietta. Perhaps she 
is there, surveying with thrilling interest every indication of 
the progress'of her Redeemer’s kingdom on earth. She doubt¬ 
less thinks often of her poor husband, pities the weakness of 
his faith, wonders at the coldness of his love towards Him who 
loved us unto death, and at the sadness and desolation of his 
heart over such a brief separation. Why should he gaze in 
such sorrow upon that decayed body which shall rise in glory 
and power, and why should he faint and be weary when the 
way is so short? And then those dear children, — I know she 
loves them still. It was her quenchless love to them that 
caused the request 1 am now executing. I return to them with 
an anxious heart, and shall not leave them so long again, if I 
can possibly keep them near me. I love them with a more 
anxious love than ever, and one of the solemn resolves which I 
wrote down in that room where I baptized little Mary in the 
arms of her dying mother, where I placed her departed 
mother in the coffin, and with her blest remains brought back 
to the same habitation, was this, — that I would be more affec¬ 
tionate, unwearied, watchful, inventive and prayerful, in the 
education of my children, remembering her last counsels, to do 
all in my power to prepare them for heaven. 

“ I feel that I love them somewhat as a father should love 
the children of such a mother. But I need more of a mother’s 
ever-watchful, wakeful and self-denying love, that forgets self 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


319 


in the anxious cares and guardianship of her treasures. Still I 
feel that it is impossible to keep them all with me until I leave 
the seminary to some one to discharge the greater part of my 
present duties in it. Their dear mother’s tomb will never cease 
to be an object of deep interest to them. However ready rea¬ 
son may be to smile at it, I have felt that she is nearer me 
than she was ; and as I stood on the spot where I hung over 
her in such intense anxiety, I felt as though I could almost 
speak to her again.” 

*#*=##****: 

Just ten months from the day when the widowed 
husband laid that silent form in its lonely resting-place, 
on the island of Rhodes, it was re'interred in the Pera 
cemetery. This cemetery is on a height overlooking 
on one side the Asiatic shore, and on the other the city 
of the Sultan, with its minareted mosques, where dwell 
the beloved people among whom Mrs. Hamlin came to 
live and die. 

Not long was she to rest there alone. The darling 
of her love, baptized in tears of agony, and early writ¬ 
ten motherless, soon heard the voice from behind the 
misty curtain of the spirit-land. A child of exceeding 
loveliness, she had shone upon the weeping ones around 
her, a sweet sunbeam in their darkened dwelling. 
But the black-robed angel came for her, and she too 
went down the dark river’s side. Tearful eyes and 
aching hearts followed the infant pilgrim well-nigh to 
the pearly gate of Paradise. Before losing sight of the 
child, they would fain have placed her little hand 
within her blessed mother’s. But that the ministering 
angels came to do. So the tender father and the loving 
sisters gave her up, and for the last time weepingly 
kissed her pale face. And the marble slab and the 
green sods are removed, and sweet little Mary is laid 


320 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


again upon her mother’s bosom, there to sleep until the 
glad morning of the resurrection. 

Beneath, the proud Bosphorus rolls majestically by, 
while towards the south gleam the dark waters of 
Marmora. Peaceful and lovely are the views from this 
quiet grave, and there, surrounded by Moslem dead, by 
the side of Mary Van Lennep, her sweet missionary 
sister, and with her youngest, fairest blossom upon her 
bosom, rest the mortal remains of Henrietta Hamlin. 
Upon the tablet marking the spot,* are inscribed those 
words that dwelt upon her lips during her wasting sick¬ 
ness, and that still lingered there when, in the gather¬ 
ing shades of death, the golden city first glowed upon 
her view,—“ Peace, perfect peace ! ” 

Sweetly, sister, thou art sleeping where the mournful cypress waves ; 
Peacefully the proud Bosphorus at thy feet the bright shore laves. 

Where the orient sunshine falleth, where thy golden crown was won, 
With thy loved Armenian people, rest thee, for thy work is done. 

Folded in thy peaceful bosom, sleeps the darling of thy love, — 
Sweetest blossom, early woven in her Saviour’s wreath above. 

O’er thy quiet mound of slumber never shall I weeping stand; 

Ne’er sweet garlands, friendship-woven, offer with a trembling hand. 

But thy faith so pure and holy shall incite and strengthen mine ; 
And thy words of trust I ’ll treasure as my battle-cry divine. 

Thus thy memory shall inspire me, till life’s conflict-day is o’er; 
Then may I, a victor, meet thee, where the sea shall part no more ! 

Past are now earth’s flitting shadows, ended this unquiet dream ; 
Thou no more shalt hear the surging of life’s hurrying, restless 
stream. 

* This monument to the memory of Mrs. Hamlin was erected through 
the generous kindness of two friends in Bangor, members of Rev. Mr. 
Maltby’s church. 


MEMOIRS OF MRS. HAMLIN. 


321 


Past its feverish cares and vigils, yearnings vain, and wild unrest; 

Stilled the aching, quick pulsations of the painful-throbbing breast. 

Past the dark and solemn river, thou hast gained eternal day; 

On its shores bright ones awaiting led thee up the shining way. 

Through those opened gates celestial, weeping eyes would glance 
afar ; 

But the golden portals, closing, our imploring gaze debar. 

Yet our pleading heart we silence,— sweet to thee thy blest release ; 

Ne’er an angry ripple breaketh o’er the river of thy peace. 

This shall soothe our yearning sorrow, when its billows rise and 
swell. 

Loved and loving! sister, mother, friend, companion,— fare thee 
well! 


Boohs by the Author of this Memoir. 


THE BROKEN BUD: 


or, Reminiscences of a Bereaved 
Mother. 


NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 

From the National Era. 

This touching and beautiful tribute of a bereaved mother to the memory of her beloved 
child owes its origin to the writer’s desire to preserve in manuscript for her surviving 
children a memorial of their departed sister ; and it has been published in the hope of 
affording to other suffering hearts something of the consolation which its preparation, gave 
to her own. Influenced by the earnest desire which, in her grief, she had felt for the sym¬ 
pathy and spiritual communion of those who had tasted with her the bitter cup of bereave¬ 
ment, she has been induced to lift the veil from the sacredness of her sorrows and consola¬ 
tions, and, to use the words of Baxter after the death of his companion, “ to become pas¬ 
sionate in the view of all.” 

We have no doubt that the benevolent end of the writer will be fully answered by this 
graceful and tender tribute of affection. It will commend itself to all who mourn ; to the 
sad sisterhood of sorrow, the unnumbered Rachels weeping for those dear ones who are not. 

“ There is no flock, however watched and tended, 

But one dead lamb is there ; 

There is no fireside, howsoe’er defended, 

But has one vacant chair.” 

The book is by no means a gloomy one. The shadow of the great bereavement is, 
indeed, as it must be, deep and dark •, but it is preceded by a sweet and sunny history of 
happy childhood, and softened and limited by the consolations and hopes of the gospel of 
Him who laid his hand of blessing on the brows of little children, and proclaimed that “ of 
such is the kingdom of heaven.” j. G. w. 

From the Puritan Recorder. 

A mother, wishing to preserve for her surviving children some memorial of their departed 
sister, drew up this volume. It is published as a solace to other stricken mothers, who 
mourn for their broken buds. The book is a beautiful thing in all respects. It is said of 
the last Earl of Roden that there stood in his stately hall a strong box, on which were 
painted the words, “To be saved first, in case of fire.” After the earl’s death, it was 
opened, in expectation of finding some rich treasure ; but nothing was found but the toys 
of an only and departed child. What a token of the strength of that affection which defies 
the cruelty of the grave ! The book before us, replenished with the hopes and consolations 
of the gospel, is a happier proof of pure, and hallowed, and undying love. 

From the Presbyterian of the West. 

This book is an embodiment of a mother’s thoughts regarding a child of no ordinary 
intelligence and beauty. It contains a collection of poetry, original and selected, the latter 
being culled with much taste from the works of Bethune, Hemans, Howitt, Longfellow, and 
others. Those who have never had children of their own — we had almost said, those who 
have never lost an infant darling — cannot understand the thousand memories that come 
back, as if from the spirit-land, upon the mind, when the image of the departed one lilts 
vividly before the soul. Not only the sunny smile and bewitching glance of health and 
happiness are remembered fondly, but the languid look and pallid cheek of decaying life 
are treasured in the imagery of the brain. 

The power of sympathy in alleviating grief is wonderful. We feel our woes to be more 
than half removed when we share them with others. The mind that broods in silence over 
its lost joys is like a neglected sword, rusted and corroded in its own scabbard. This book 
is an unobtrusive, quiet friend, who comes to visit the mourning mother in her solitude, 
and express, in the language of condolence, the comforting communion of the heart. The 
cold critic may say that less than three hundred and twenty-five pages might have sufficed 
as a memorial of one who died in her fourth year 5 but such will not be the decision of the 
bereaved mother who has suffered a calamity similar to the one that gave origin to the book. 

From the Christian Register. 

Whoever reads this volume will be certain that it is no fancy sketch ; that, on the con¬ 
trary, it is a most true and life-like account of a mother’s brightest and saddest experiences. 
Though no names are given, it needed not the statement of the preface to reveal the fact 
that the book is a record of real events. In its tender memories, in its touching descrip¬ 
tions of infant development and childlike affections, in the narrative of the darkening hours 
Of sickness, and in the changes wrought in the aspect of the whole world by the death of a 





Books by the Author of this Memoir. 


child, every bereaved mother will seem to be reading a chapter out of her own life. It is 
not that the child to whose memory the book is consecrated was a remarkable one, or 
that there was anything peculiar in the experiences of its home. The charm of the volume 
lies in the fact that it presents a most truthful, vivid and pathetic picture of the common 
lot of trials which so many have borne, but so few know how so well to describe, and in 
religious gratitude, trust and submission, with which it is throughout imbued. 
" °ut apparently any such intention, it brings before the mind of the reader a beautiful 
and well-ordered Christian home, planted amidst Christian kindred and friends, while the 
author, in preserving the memory of her own joys and trials, and in describing the sources 
whence she derived strength and solace, becomes a more impressive religious teacher than 
she could have been through any formal lessons. A first great affliction never leaves one 
as it found him. It ploughs open the heart, and in the deep furrow of grief are cast seeds 
which bear an after harvest of good or evil. This volume will be read because of its 
descriptions of that which is most beautiful and touching in domestic life ; and it will 
benefit those who read, by showing how religion first hallows the affections, and then, 
beyond all things else, helps one to bear and profit from affliction. 


BLOSSOMS OF CHILDHOOD. 


NOTICES OF THE PRESS. 

From the Christian Parlor Magazine , August , 1852. 

We have just risen from the perusal of a precious little volume of poems, entitled 
“ Blossoms of Childhood,” by one of our valued lady contributors. Here are clustered 
together many choice gems, particularly calculated to mellow the feelings of mothers, and 
lead them to cherish towards the lovely “olive plants around their table” something 
of that love that Christ himself felt when he yearned over their perilled condition. We 
can commend this as one of Carter’s most useful issues of the kind, and wish for it a wide 
circulation, that thus the kind intentions of the benevolent and literary author may be 
furthered. The scope and design of the book will be better understood if we quote from 
the preface, &c. 

From the Christian Register. 

This well-printed volume contains a selection of poems relating to childhood — poems 
written to commemorate the birth of children, to describe the varying aspects and 
experiences of the earliest years, or to give utterance to the emotions and affections of 
parents. The selection was made by a mother ; and every young moth'er who holds a 
living child in her arms will find in these pages thoughts and sentiments and pictures on 
which she will love to dwell, and be benefited by dwelling. We hold such poems in high 
value. Most of them were probably written when the heart was deeply moved, and they 
are the source of comfort and strength to all other hearts in which similar feelings have 
been awakened. English literature is rich in religious and domestic poetry, and the com¬ 
piler of this volume has shown great familiarity with the best authors, and excellent taste 
in her selections. It is an admirable volume for a present, especially to any mother who 
rejoices in the presence of her child. 

From the Christian Mirror. 

We were but very partially aware how large is the number of sweet poets who have sung of 
childhood, of its state, its loveliness, beauty, frailty, —the affections it awakens, the hopes 
and apprehensions with which it is viewed by parental love, — till this new work came into 
our hands, which contains more than a hundred and fifty pieces from, perhaps, half as 
many different pens. It is a charming collection, and deserves a place among household 
books. The old and gray-headed will find their former choicest feelings returning with an 
exhilarating freshness, as they peruse it; and those who have just become parents will 
here find their existing emotions beautifully expressed. Children are objects of tender 
and commanding interest. They were so with our great Exemplar. He loved little chil¬ 
dren y they were the earliest martyrs for his sake. He invited children to him ; he 
referred his adult disciples to them for some of the most important lessons as to temper 
and conduct. It helps the affections to mingle with little children. No man can be so 
high in rank, or old in years, while reason remains, who cau be indifferent to little children 
and be innocent. And he must be hard to please who can look on this wreath of child¬ 
hood’s blossoms without pleasure. 







Boohs hy the Author of this Memoir 


From, the Salem Register. 

The many testimonials of appreciation, both public and private, which followed the 
publication of “ The Broken Bud,” promise much for this second work, compiled by the 
same talented author. It consists of a choice and tasteful selection of poems, all contrib¬ 
uting to one lovely theme — happy and innocent childhood. It seems as though the 
author had rifled every haunt of poesy in her search for blossoms with which to enrich this 
beautiful garland, this vase of sweetness. It is only to be regretted that she has graced it 
with so few flowers from her own blossoming heart. To all, atad especially to the many 
who found in “The Broken Bud ” a leaf of healing for their stricken hearts and homes, we 
cordially commend this sister volume. It is a beautiful testimony to the love and hope 
and joy and graceful helplessness of childhood, appealing to the hearts of all to whom the 
sweet sympathies and endearments of home can appeal. There is scarce a fireside in our 
land that is not gladdened by little children ; and wherever they are should this volume 
be. It has a word for each and all, — a word of sympathy and love for the stricken, 
motherless one, a word of encouragement and pitying endearment for blighted, pining 
infancy ; words in abundance of happy cheer for laughing, buoyant, innocent childhood. 
Its whole spirit is one peculiarly calculated to touch and ennoble the heart; and the 
author has well chosen the guise of poetry in which to dress the lovely sentiments of piety 
and affection which it contains. It is a volume which we would commend as a well- 
chosen family gift-book for the coming holidays. Its style of cover is handsome, and its 
whole getting up tasteful and engaging. 

From the Puritan Recorder. 

The writer, or, rather, the compiler of this work, has ranged through the whole garden 
of modern English and American poetry, and has made a selection of flowers that will 
long bloom with undiminished beauty and fragrance. It is full of maternal tenderness and 
devotion on the one hand, and of the simplicity and loveliness of childhood on the other. 
“The Broken Bud” appealed exclusively to our sympathies and sensibilities ; this is a 
beautiful commingling of the pathetic and the playful; and there are parts of it which the 
gravest might be challenged to read without a smile, and other parts which might defy 
the merest child of vanity to read without a tear. 


From Graham's Magazine. By Mr. Whipple. 

The Broken Bud ; or, Reminiscences of a Bereaved Mother. New York: Robert Carter 
& Brothers. 1 vol. 16mo. 

Blossoms of Childhood. Edited by the author of “The Broken Bud.” New York: 
Robert Carter & Brothers. 1 vol. 16mo. 

The first of these little volumes is the record of a child who died just as her mind was 
expanding into affection and intelligence ; and it is the most notable book of the kind we 
have ever seen. As giving the psychology of a mother’s feelings, it is well worthy of atten¬ 
tion. It is written close to the heart of the matter, and is full of examples of that search¬ 
ing pathos which calls up instinctive tears. Rarely have we read a work of more affec¬ 
tionate intensity, or one in which a mournful experience, tempered by religious faith, is 
expressed with such genuine simplicity and truth to inward emotion. There are passages 
whose eloquence is so identical with the things it celebrates, that the reader sees and feels 
with hardly the consciousness of the agency of words. The other volume is a collection 
of poetry relating to children, iu which the mother’s heart, so constantly present in the 
previous volume, ranges over the whole field of poetry, hoarding the precious lyrics which 
bring consolation by inspiring religious trust. Both works are of a peculiar character, 
indicating the presiding influence of one overmastering feeling, and striking at the very 
sources of emotion. 




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